Friday, March 11 2005 19:55 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: The Mumbai office of the India Today group was on Friday (March 11, 2005) ransacked by a group of around 30 persons, police said.

The group stormed into the India Today group's office in Jolly Makers II building at Nariman Point and caused damage to the property, additional commissioner of police S P Yadav said.

However, an employee of the group said, "All the computers apart from other office equipment were destroyed allegedly by Shiv Sainiks, who did not spare a single PC in sight."

The Sainiks were protesting the group's invitation to Union Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar for an awards function organised by its Business Today magazine, he added.

Yadav said, "In the same connection, around 50 Shiv Sainiks were detained near Gateway of India."

The Union Minister was to attend the awards function at a hotel in front of the monument.

The Sena had been opposing Aiyar for his "anti-Savarkar" stance. The Sena had blamed Aiyar for being instrumental in removing a plaque containing a poem by Veer Savarkar at the Cellular Jail in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.