Panaji, June 22 (IANS) A delegation of Goa journalists Wednesday met Director General of Police (DGP) Aditya Arya to protest against his scathing attack on the media and demanded an apology from him.

Representatives of the Goa Union of Journalists (GUJ) gave a memorandum to Arya who Monday accused the media of not being sensitive towards "maintaining peace and law and order in the state".

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, GUJ president Pandurang Gaonkar said they submitted a memorandum to the DGP and demanded an unconditional apology from him.

The memorandum said "your statements have hurt the journalistic community and have attempted at casting aspersions on our sincere motive and selfless service to the society".

Arya had cast serious aspersions on the media and had blatantly twisted facts in his clarification about his controversial June 18 remark that "he would have ordered fire" on agitating tribals, he said.

The police chief while speaking during a workshop on human rights June 18 said that "he would have ordered fire" on tribals agitating at Balli, a village 40 km from here, May 25.

The opposition parties criticised Arya for his comments, claiming that he had no right to continue as the DGP if he was insensitive to the needs of the tribals, who form 12 percent of the state's 14 lakh population.

Tribal leaders in Goa also slammed Arya for his "insensitive" and "threatening" comments.