Mumbai Police have arrested 17 Shiv Sena activists for the attacks on the offices of IBN TV news channels in Mumbai and Pune as journalists staged a protest on Saturday and urged the Chief Minister to bring the guilty to book. The accused,held for attacking IBN offices in Vikhroli,a Mumbai suburb,on Friday,were remanded to two-day police custody by the Vikhroli court. Police are on the lookout for five more involved in the attack,including Sena MP Sanjay Rauts younger brother Sunil,as they suspect he incited the attackers. Sunil was the Sena candidate in the Assembly elections from Bhandup and 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 they seem to have an impression of hurt over the portrayal of the party in the follow-up to the election and also in the recent debate over the comments of Sachin Tendulkar and Sena chief Bal Thackerays reaction to the same, said Whatkar. A delegation of media representatives led by CNN IBN editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai met CM Ashok Chavan at his residence asking for tough action against all those involved in the attack. Chavan said the government would appoint a Cabinet minister to the committee looking into the attacks on media and also gave an assurance that the government would examine the legal aspects of making attacks on media persons a non-bailable offence. Media organisations staged a protest at Hutatma Chowk against the attacks on Saturday afternoon. Im personally looking into working of the committee and it will be meeting once in three months, Home Minister R R Patil said at the gathering. Media is not God: Senas defence Mumbai: Undeterred by the condemnation from all quarters for attacking the offices of IBN channels,the Shiv Sena justified the action of its activists by saying,Media is not God. In the editorial published in the Sena mouthpiece Saamna on Saturday the party accused the mass media of playing God and deliberately launching smear campaigns with ulterior motives. The media currently is in the role of courts and rulers, the party stated,What exactly did we say about Sachin? And what are these 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. This is because the owners of the media (houses) are either powerful politicians or rich people. Accusing the media of being servile to those in power,the Sena stated,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 the media in Maharashtra has surpassed Hitlers Goebbels,(it has) created suspicion and confusion in the minds of voters. The Sena also applauded West Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee for saying that the people,not the media,should be allowed to decide who would rule.
