Arnab Goswami, Editor-in-Chief of Republic TVRepublic TV editor Arnab Goswami was detained by Raigad police on Wednesday in connection with abetment to suicide case filed against him and two others in 2018. The Raigad police have not yet confirmed the arrest. “Arnab Goswami is currently being taken to Raigad. He shall be interrogated by the investigating officer and the further course of action will be decided accordingly,” Sanjay Mohite, IG Konkan Range said.
Goswami said he was physically assaulted by the cops. Visual flashed on Republic TV showed Goswami being forced into a police van.
In 2018, an architect and his mother died by suicide over alleged non-payment of dues by Goswami’s Republic TV, the official said.
Home Minister Amit Shah said the incident is a reminder of the “emergency days.” Union Minister for Information and Broadcast Prakash Javadekar tweeted, “We condemn the attack on press freedom in #Maharashtra. This is not the way to treat the Press. This reminds us of the emergency days when the press was treated like this.” “Those in the free press who don’t stand up today in support of Arnab, you are now tactically in support of fascism,” Union Minister Smriti Irani tweeted. External Affairs Minister also said the incident has “shades of democracy.” Former Maharashtra Chief Minister tweeted, “Although emergency was defeated in 1977, the mentality is still alive Today, the supporters of emergency-Congress and Shivsena are displaying the same undemocratic brutality to crush any voice of dissent.”
Congress and its allies have shamed democracy once again.
Blatant misuse of state power against Republic TV & Arnab Goswami is an attack on individual freedom and the 4th pillar of democracy.
It reminds us of the Emergency. This attack on free press must be and WILL BE OPPOSED.
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) November 4, 2020
Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik said the party has always stood up every time injustice has been meted out to a Marathi man. “Arnab Goswami’s name is in the suicide note of Anvay Naik, a Marathi architect. In spite of his name being in the FIR, the previous BJP government has let him go. I would like to congratulate the home minister and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray ensuring that Naik’s family gets justice,” he said.
In a statement, the Editors Guild of India said it is “shocked to learn about the arrest of Arnab Goswami” in the early hours of Wednesday.”We condemn the sudden arrest and find it extremely distressing. The Guild calls upon the Chief Minister of Maharashtra to ensure that Goswami is treated fairly and state power is not used against critical reporting by the media.”
In May this year, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said the state CID will re re-investigate the case. The case was closed by the Raigad Police last year. Interior designer Anvay Naik and his mother Kumud Naik were found dead at their bungalow in Alibaug in May 2018. Naik’s daughter Adnya claimed non-payment of dues by Republic TV had driven her father and grandmother to suicide.
Arnab Goswami at his residence in Mumbai (Source: Screengrab from Republic TV)
The police had found a suicide not written in English that said he and his mother decided to take the extreme step on account of payments due to them not being cleared by the owners of three companies – television journalist Arnab Goswami of Republic TV, Feroz Shaikh of IcastX/Skimedia and Niteish Sarda of Smartworks. The three firms owed Naik’s company, Concorde Designs Pvt Ltd, Rs 83 lakh, Rs 4 crore and Rs 55 lakh respectively, the note added.
While the Home Department had transferred the case to CID in May this year, officers outside Arnab’s residence said that the very court where the Raigad police had filed a closure report has given permission to Raigad police to reopen the case. CID officials said they have no case against Goswami.
Republic TV had refuted the allegations and had then said that certain vested interest groups are running a false and malicious campaign and making false statements and innuendos against the channel by exploiting a tragic event involving Naik’s demise.
Visual flashed on Republic TV showed Goswami being forced into a police van.
Last week, the Mumbai Police had booked the executive editor, an anchor, two reporters, and other editorial staff of Republic Media Network for broadcasting alleged defamatory news content against the police department. Police said Republic channel aired the news that would incite disaffection among police personnel against Commissioner of Police Param Bir Singh. The channel, police said, claimed Mumbai police personnel were rebelling against Param Bir Singh, and that his orders were not acceptable to them.
#WATCH Republic TV Editor Arnab Goswami detained and taken in a police van by Mumbai Police, earlier today pic.twitter.com/ytYAnpauG0
— ANI (@ANI) November 4, 2020
This is the fourth case against Republic channel. Arnab Goswami is facing two FIRs, registered at Pydhonie and NM Joshi Marg police stations, for allegedly inciting communal tension. A case relating to alleged fudging of TRPs is being probed by the Mumbai Crime Branch while chapter proceedings against Goswami have been initiated separately by police.