MUMBAI, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- The Editors' Guild of India on Sunday condemned the violent attacks on two editors of local Mumbai papers in the past week.
Chief editor, Nikhil Wagle and two colleges were attacked on Saturday morning by supporters of Shiv Sena, a local political party, for criticizing their leader Narayan Rane. It was only last Tuesday that Hindi newspaper editor Sajid Rashid had also been attacked in Mumbai by Muslims with differing opinions. These men edit the Marathi and Hindi editions of the same paper, Mahanagar, reports the Asian Age
Attacking the Maharashtra government, the Editors' Guild of India said in a statement that two editors being set upon by fanatic and despicable elements within a span of four days speaks of the abdication of responsibility by the government. The guild felt that the state government had a responsibility to protect the freedom of the press.
It was regrettable that instead of swinging into action to protect the press, the state government reduced itself to the level of a "mute spectator." After the murderous attack on Sajid Rashid, the Editors' Guild had demanded that the state government should take "appropriate steps" to protect the editor of Mahanagar and his colleagues.
