(REOPEN MDS11)

Youth and women outfits of different political parties came out in protest across the state including in Justice Basant's hometown Thalassery in Kannur district, where he had gone to address a seminar on "what after the Delhi incident." Activists of CPI-M's youth outfit DYFI waved black flags to Justice Basant when his car entered the town and in several other towns his effigy was burnt. Regretting he was subjected to "unethical" journalistic practice, Justice Basant said he was unaware of being interviewed and his views would be telecast. At the seminar, Justice Basant said, he repeatedly told the reporter that if anybody felt his judgement was wrong then it should be read. The former judge said he thought that the journalist had come for a discussion and not to beam it on the channel. "In the name of journalism you should not resort to unethical practices. The credibility of journalism will be at stake if you resort to such tactics.There should be some ethics in journalism," he said. CPI-M veteran and opposition leader V S Achuthanandan sharply reacted to Basant's statement.