Overview
- Members of the Thane City Journalists Association staged a protest outside the Thane Municipal Corporation on Monday and demanded an unconditional public apology from MNS functionary Avinash Jadhav for remarks he made at an Oct 9 rally.
- At the Oct 9 opposition demonstration, Jadhav allegedly accused some reporters of being “sold” and of publishing news that favoured leaders of the ruling parties.
- Protesters stressed there has been no public apology or formal response from Jadhav, who was reported as unavailable for comment in the coverage.
- The association argued that broad allegations of “paid media” damage journalistic credibility and also used the protest to condemn the alleged manhandling of reporters by Delhi Police while covering youth protests related to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
- The dispute is rooted in wider local tensions over law and order after the murder of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Pradeep Purnekar, and it could raise pressure for official investigations or stronger protections for journalists covering political events.