Panaji, Oct 28 (IANS) Ajay Kaushal, 50, the Britain-based NRI who was arrested in Goa, lashed out at media photographers twice within 24 days, once even yanking at a lensman’s shirt, while he was being taken to a court under police escort.
Kaushal, who was on the run evading a 15-year sentence in Britain for assaulting and kidnapping a businessman at Burnley, Wednesday made a wild lunge at the video camera of a cameraperson Siddharth Mehta, who works for a local cable news channel, all in the presence of five police constables who were escorting him.

On Tuesday eveing, Kaushal angrily grabbed photographer Soiru Komarpant’s shirt and pulled himeven while the police were escorting him to the courtroom.

“He lunged at me, but only grabbed my shirt. This happened when he was in police custody and was being escorted to a judicial magistrate for his bail hearing. We were waiting outside for a photo opportunity,” Komarpant, who works for Gomantak Times, a local English news daily, told IANS.

When contacted for comment, Superintendent Police (CID) Atmaram Deshpande said: “He perhaps felt that photographers were a threat. He comes from a country which has the paparazzi. He does not know that photographers in Goa are a lot different.”

Kaushal was in Goa with William Scott, a 39-year-old Scottish national, both of whom were staying in separate rooms at a hotel in Colva, coastal resort town 40 km from here.

His presence in Goa was noted after the media extensively reported the death of his companion Scott, who was found mysteriously dead in his hotel room.

The police arrested Kaushal after receiving a tip-off from a journalist, who informed the police about Kaushal’s status as a fugitive in Britain.