Television news reporter Sudhir Shukla was severely assaulted by a group of unruly commuters on a Western Railway local train on Wednesday morning.
The journalist boarded the local train from Mira Road to go to work and while he was travelling on the train, he had an argument with a group of male passengers inside the coach over claiming seats. Soon the argument turned into violence when the group started beating him up. Shukla started to bleed from his head.
He then contacted the Government Railway Police who later took him to the Cooper Hospital for treatment. Subsequently, he recorded his statement and filed an FIR by the Andheri GRP. Now teams have been formed to scan CCTV footage from stations between Mira Road and Andheri to arrest them.
The Mumbai Press Club and the Mumbai crime reporters’ association have denounced the episode. The Press Club went on to demand that a permanent mechanism be put in place on all suburban lines to prevent attacks on hapless commuters.
Minister of state for home, Ranjit Patil, tweeted that a probe had been instituted. The leader of opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil tweeted that the culprits be brought to book immediately.