Mangaluru: Journalist Naveen Soorinje, accused no 44 in the 2012 homestay attack is now discharged from all charges by the VIth Additional District and Sessions Court.
Naveen Soorinje and another journalist Sharan had filmed and exposed the incident of homestay attack by a group of Hindutwa outfit on July 20, 2012. Followed by the complaint from one of the victims, Mangaluru Rural police arrested a total of 44 accused,0 including Naveen Soorinje and Sharan.
After Siddaramaiah assumed charge as the chief minister of Karnataka in the month of June 2013, he decided to withdraw the case against journalist Naveen Soorinje claiming that he had been to the spot only to report the incident and he did not instigated the attack. After several hearings at the court, the VIth Additional District and Sessions Court judge discharged Naveen Soorinje from the case recently.
When contacted Naveen Soorinje he expressed his pleasure over the decision of the government and court. “I had been to the spot only to report the incident and did not instigate the miscreants to attack those who are at the homestay. Those who were involved in the homestay attack should not be released and they should be punished to ensure no such moral policing occurs in the future in our district“, he said.
However, no efforts were made to withdraw the case of another journalist Sharan, a cameraman of a local television channel, who videographed the whole incident.
