What the photo journalists say…

Photojournalists here are up in arms against Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan, who allegedly manhandled and smashed a camera of a Delhi-based photographer.

Even though Bachchan Jr., son of Amitabh Bachchan, has denied the incident and said the whole thing was the result of a misunderstanding, the photographers insist that he be arrested and punished for his errant behaviour.

"Abhishek should be arrested. He pushed and punched me and broke my camera and flashlight. Even when I said sorry, he and other members of his film unit rained blows," Umesh Puri, a freelance cameraman, told said.

Some Delhi-based photojournalists found themselves in the line of fire Sunday when they went to take pictures of Abhishek and his team shooting for debutant director Goldie Behl's Bas Itna Sa Khwab Hai at Raisina Hill in Delhi, which has the imposing Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidential palace, serving as the majestic backdrop.

The scribes later registered a case with police against Bachchan, Goldie Behl's sister, Tanya Behl, and unit member Bhawesh. While Behl and Bhawesh were arrested Monday, police said they are investigating Bachchan's role in the episode.

Puri said the Delhi Journalists Association has taken up his case. "As the police has not arrested Bachchan so far, they will be holding a protest march soon," he said.

Narrating Sunday's incident, Puri said the photojournalists were invited to take photographs of the shooting. "However, they did not allow us to take photographs and instead asked us to wait till shooting ended. Trouble started when Tanya Behl was trying to control the crowd. She had a stick with her and was threatening the crowd with it. Mustafa Quraishi, the photojournalist with Indian Express thought of taking that photo. But instead he was collared and bashed," Puri said.

"As soon as I took her photograph, she pulled my shirt collar and two other unit members started raining blows on my face and stomach. It was only when the police intervened that Behl and the others left me. I don't know what would have happened to me if the police had not intervened. I would have been dead by now," Quraishi said. He said that Laxmanan of The Hindu newspaper was thrown off the sets when he tried to click photographs of Bachchan.

Puri said he saw the commotion and was planning to rescue Quraishi when he saw Bachchan along with two others standing in a corner. "Finding a chance to click his photographs, I took one. This apparently angered him as earlier a newspaper had published a similar photograph of his blood-splattered face, made up for his film role, which was not his liking. He had ordered that no one should be allowed to take his photograph while he was shooting," Puri said.

"So when I clicked, he pulled my hair and tried to snatch my camera. Every cameraman's instinct is to save his camera. I did it too. As I was on the ground, I tried to save my camera. However, my camera and flashlight was taken from me and broken. My white shirt has a spot of fake blood as Bachchan was wearing a shirt soaked with fake blood," he said.

Puri said Bachchan held him down with his feet even as other unit members rained blows on him. "With great difficulty I escaped. But soon someone came after me and said Bachchan was calling me. When I refused I was forcibly taken to Bachchan, who said in a demeaning tone that I could take his exclusive photograph and forget about what happened. I refused and turned away," he said.

Bachchan has, however, denied he was in any way involved in the incident. "I haven't raised my hand on anyone. I did not hit any press photographer. And I never threw any press person's camera on the ground," Bachchan told IANS on Monday.

Abhishek, who describes himself as a "pucca dilliwallah" (a typical Delhi resident), claims he was somewhat puzzled by the turn of events. "It pains me to see such negative things happening on the sets of my film. If people from the press or the unit have been hurt in any way, then it's a very, very wrong thing. And I apologize on behalf of my entire unit. There's definitely a misunderstanding being created here, by whom and for what purpose, I don't know."