The Shiv Sena has come out in support of Mumbai Police Commissioner D N Jadhav over his statements on the New Year day molestation incident and blamed society and media for the “state of affairs”.

In an editorial, the Sena mouthpiece Samna on Friday said though what had happened was “shameful”, there was a need for introspection on the part of society. Supporting Jadhav, it said the media, in its coverage, was running a smear campaign against the police.

The editorial opined that Jadhav had said nothing wrong—he had said that it was just a molestation case and was being blown out of proportion by the media—and that the society, which had no qualms about drinking and dancing whole night, should introspect on the state of affairs. It pointed out that the situation was such that a person would be considered insane if he suggested that the New Year could be celebrated in other ways, such as by doing something good for the society or by giving donations. The paper stated that it was not proper to say that women were unsafe in Mumbai as similar incidents took place in Pune and Kochi too.