Journalists meet Guv, demand Mete's arrest

Mumbai, Jun 19 (UNI) City journalists, from various organisations, today met Governor S C Jamir and demanded that NCP leader Vinayak Mete, who was recently sacked as Maharashtra unit vice president of the party for allegedly attacking the residence of Kumar Ketkar, editor of Marathi Daily 'Loksatta' on June 5, alongwith activists of his organisation 'Shiv Sangram' be arrested immediately.

Members of Brihanmumbai Union of Journalists (BUJ), Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh (MMPS), Mantralaya Vidhimandal Vartahar Sangh (MVVS) and Maharashtra Union of Working Journalists (MUWJ), gave a memorandum to the Governor, in which they also demanded appointment of a special prosecutor to pursue the case and that the case be referred to a fast-track court.

The memorandum said, while a few persons have been arrested in the case, the main leader, Vinayak Mete, has not yet been arrested, though he has appeared on television channels justifying the dastardly attack. This inaction on the part of the Maharashtra government, only sends out a clear signal to the subverters of freedom of speech and expression that they can operate with impunity, the memorandum said.

They also condemned the attacks on Marathi daily Saamna's office in Pune and the MTV's office in Mumbai.

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