Some media persons were heckled by participants in the march organised by actor Anupam Kher to counter the protests by writers and artistes against “rising intolerance” in the country.
Thank you EVERYONE all over d world for your love & support for #MarchForIndia.:) #MyIndiaMyPride #IndiaIsTolerant pic.twitter.com/leXYOeUjxd
— Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) November 7, 2015
The ‘March For India’ rally from National Museum to Rashtrapati Bhavan was also joined by filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, Ashoke Pandit, Priyadarshan, Manoj Joshi, Abhijeet Bhattacharya and writer Madhu Kishwar among others.
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First was called a prostitute, heckled, chased just for saying that the Indian creative world is divided on this issue @AnupamPkher
— Bhairavi Singh (@Bhairavi_NDTV) November 7, 2015
But the protest turned ugly when some people started shouting anti-media slogans and heckled the journalists.
Shaken, scared by goons who didn't understand a word of what I said at the March @AnupamPkher
— Bhairavi Singh (@Bhairavi_NDTV) November 7, 2015
“A bunch of people were shouting and calling the media biased. They said we practice selective journalism. They heckled us,” a reporter from a leading news channel said.
#IndiaIsTolerant The defining image of the March pic.twitter.com/GHS95uk3zE
— Saikat Datta (@saikatd) November 7, 2015
NDTV reports: "Angry protesters surrounded NDTV's Bhairavi Singh, who was reporting on the march to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, and verbally abused her. The reporter and her crew were also pushed around and slogans were raised before a police team managed to intervene and escort her to safety."
The marchers reached Rashtrapati Bhavan to hand over a memorandum signed by more than 90 personalities including actress Vidya Balan, Shekhar Kapoor, Kamal Haasan Raveena Tandon, to President Pranab Mukherjee.
I was thrust a poster in my face, told I'm a paid journalist- asked to wear a congress cap @AnupamPkher @imbhandarkar
— Bhairavi Singh (@Bhairavi_NDTV) November 7, 2015
Criticising people returning their National Award, Kher alleged that the “award-wapsi” campaign was to defame the country by projecting a “wrong” picture of the situation.
“India is a very tolerant country. Some people have coined the term ‘growing intolerance’. They are very few.
After being heckled, told your fault - you deserved it as you were reporting false things @AnupamPkher @imbhandarkar
— Bhairavi Singh (@Bhairavi_NDTV) November 7, 2015
Not every Indian thinks like that. We are secular people. We do not believe in pseudo-secularism, selective outrage or selective patriotism,” Kher, who is the spouse of BJP MP from Chandigarh Kirron Kher, said.
