The Mumbai Police have been trying its level best to break Republic TV’s Editor-in-chief, Arnab Goswami’s resilience. After physically assaulting and arresting him over unfounded allegations, the Mumbai police have now reportedly sent a team of 10 police officers to interrogate Arnab Goswami in the Taloja jail on Monday.
According to the Times Of India report, a 10 member squad of Raigad police interrogated Goswami and two others, who are now lodged in the Taloja jail, a prison which houses hardened criminals and underworld dons, for three hours on Monday. Inspector Jamil Shaikh of Raigad crime branch, who is investigating the case confirmed that three teams interrogated Arnab and the two others. he said that “Interrogating the accused Arnab Goswami lodged at Taloja jail will be a time-consuming affair as we will have to travel daily for two hours from Alibaug to reach Taloja jail and will have restrictions to interrogate him only for three hours as per the CJM order. Police custody would be convenient to carry out the interrogation.”
This move came after the Raigad CJM granted permission to the Mumbai police to interrogate the senior journalist for 3 hours daily in Taloja prison in connection with Anvay Naik abetment to suicide case, as otherwise under law, police do not have access to an accused who is in judicial custody without an order of the court.
The permission to interrogate Arnab was granted after Maharashtra police moved an application before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Alibaug, yesterday, seeking permission for the same.
Arnab Goswami, Firoze Shaikh and Sarda were shifted to Taloja Central prison on Sunday after the Raigad police claimed that Arnab was active on social media over someone else’s phone while in judicial custody at the makeshift quarantine centre at the Alibaug civic school. It was evident that the Alibaug police had taken this step to simply harass the Republic TV Editor-in-chief, as it is well known that Arnab has no account on any social media platform.
Mumbai police’ solitary access to the Republic TV editor-in-chief in Taloja jail is concerning, as the journalist, while he was being hurriedly transferred from the quarantine centre to Taloja jail had revealed that he was yet again assaulted by the police and said that his life was under threat. Previously, Arnab Goswami had revealed that he was force-fed a liquid that made him choke, he was hit by a police officer’s boot, he suffered injuries to his spinal cord and veins and he was not even allowed access to drinking water.
Bail plea of Arnab Goswami to be heard today by the Alibaug Sessions Court
The Alibaug Sessions court had yesterday shifted Arnab Goswami’s bail plea hearing for today. After the Bombay High Court refused to grant interim relief to Arnab Goswami, he had moved the Alibaug Sessions Court for regular bail in the Anvay Naik abetment to suicide case, the plea for which the Alibaug sessions court will now hear on November 10.
The Sessions Court has also kept the petition of Raigad police, seeking revision of Magistrate’s order of granting judicial custody to Arnab Goswami, for today.
Arnab Goswami’s arrest
Arnab was arrested on Wednesday for a now-reopened 2018 abatement of the suicide case of an architect, Anvay Naik. In his suicide note, the architect has blamed a few people, including Arnab Goswami, for not paying dues. Later, the court had closed the case after the Raigad police filed a closure report, but it was reopened in May 2020 by the Maharashtra government.