The men barged into the Star News office at Mahalakshmi at around 4 pm. “About 40 to 50 men wielding hammers and rods came into the reception area and started smashing windowpanes,” said Yash Khanna, the head of communications at Star.

Nearly 45 cars in the parking lot were also damaged in the 15 minutes the men stayed at the office. The men could not reach the first floor since the doors open only when swiped with employee cards. There were 35 security guards on duty and 400 people working in all seven floors of the building when the attack took place.

Eighteen people were arrested in connection with the incident and the channel lodged a complaint with the police for rioting.

Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil, who visited the Star News office, promised stern action against the culprits so that “nobody dares attack a media office in the future”. Talking to reporters, he added: “The organisation involved seems to be new and a person called Desai runs it.”