Mumbai police have arrested 17 Shiv Sainiks for Friday’s attacks on IBN offices in Mumbai and are looking for five others even as journalists staged a protest and urged the CM to punish the guilty.  A Vikhroli court on Saturday remanded the 17 arrested for attacking IBN offices in Vikroli, a suburb in Mumbai, in police custody for two days.

Police are also looking for Sena MP Sanjay Raut’s younger brother Sunil, suspected of inciting the attackers. Incidentally, Sunil was the Sena candidate in the assembly elections from Bhandup and had lost to MNS leader Shishir Shinde.

“We have declared him as ‘wanted’ at this stage,” said Rajkumar Whatkar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone VII). “There does not seem to be any immediate provocation for the attacks. But yes, there seems to be an impression of getting hurt by the portrayal of the party post elections and also the recent debate on the comment of Sachin Tendulkar and Sena chief Bal Thackeray’s reaction to it,” added Whatkar.

On Saturday, a media delegation led by CNN-IBN editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai met CM Ashok Chavan at his residence and sought stringent action on all those involved in the attack.

Chavan said the government would appoint a cabinet minister to the committee looking into attacks on media and assured that the government would examine the legal aspects of making attacks on mediapersons a non-bailable offence. Media organisations also staged a protest at Hutatma Chowk on Saturday afternoon. “I’m personally looking into working of the committee and it will be meeting once in three months,” home minister R R Patil told the gathering.

Media not God: Sena
Not fazed by condemnation from all quarters for attacking IBN offices, the Shiv Sena has justified the action saying, “Media is not God”.

In an editorial in Sena mouthpiece Saamna on Saturday, the party accused the media of playing God and launching smear campaigns with ulterior motives. “The media is currently playing the role of courts and rulers,” the party stated. “What exactly had we said about Sachin? And what are media people showing? It means we should not utter a single word on Maharashtra-Mumbai and if we want to, we should ask (for permission) from them...”

“During the Maharashtra (assembly) elections the media played the role not of Ramshastri (the legendary honest judge during the Peshwa regime) but of a Damshastri (one who accepts money)...Especially, media in Maharashtra has surpassed Hitler’s Goebbels...(it has) created suspicion and confusion in the minds of voters.”