mid-day editorial: Assault on press: Company owes an explanation

What was a routine assignment to cover a Tata Sons board meeting at the company's Bombay House turned bloody for photojournalists on Friday.

It started with an altercation when the security men attempted to push away photographers who were clicking ousted chairman Cyrus Mistry. What followed was sheer thuggery.

A couple of security men crossed the road from Bombay House and started attacking a senior photographer without any provocation. When mid-day's Atul Kamble, the Hindustan Times's Arijit Sen and the Times of India's SL Shanth Kumar tried to intervene, they too were viciously attacked. They sustained serious injuries and have been hospitalised.

While the police registered an FIR (not before trying to dissuade the photographers from pressing charges), they should complete the investigation swiftly and put the accused behind bars.

On the other hand, the entire incident is unbecoming of a corporate house that prides itself on so-called best practices and ethical behaviour.

Admittedly, Tata Sons is in a huge rut presently. Nonetheless, the company owes a detailed explanation as to how its hired goons were allowed to behave in such a barbaric manner and, more importantly, whether the ruffians were ordered or authorised by someone higher up in the company hierarchy.

As such, journalists take huge risks on a daily basis when they uncover sordid truths about the mafia, sundry criminals and other nefarious elements. They could do without having to constantly look behind their backs even while covering simple corporate developments and events.

Even in a country where basic press freedom is in tatters, a powerful conglomerate thinking it can get away with such brazenness will mark a new low.