Journalist Arnab Goswami arrested, manhandled over a closed case
05 Nov 2020
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The Mumbai Police on Wednesday arrested Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami over a closed 2018 case in which, the police allege, Goswami abetted the suicide of a 53-year-old interior designer.
Police picked up Goswami from his residence in Alibaug and was seen shoving him into the police van. Goswami claimed the police assaulted him at his home before taking him to the police station.
Mumbai Police entered Goswami's residence and allegedly attempted to detain him. Republic TV channel telecast visuals of Mumbai Police entering Goswami's residence and what appears to be a scuffle.
Maharashtra police initiated action against Goswami after reporting the lynching of a Hindu sanyasi by a motivated mob in Palghar and alleged reference to a mosque over the crowding at Bandra railway station during the lock-down period.
The police registered two cases against Goswami for alleged “provocative remarks and defaming Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi” in a television debate on Palghar mob lynching incident and the Bandra station crowding incident report at NM Joshi Marg police station and Pydhonie police station, respectively.
The cases were registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including provocation with intent to cause riots, defamation, statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes, criminal intimidation, and criminal conspiracy.
Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh in May this year announced a re-investigation into the suicide of architect Anvay Naik and his mother on a “fresh complaint” filed by his daughter Adnya Naik.
According to Deshmukh, Adnya had stated in her complaint that the Alibaug police did not investigate an “alleged” non-payment of dues from Goswami's channel, which “allegedly” drove her father and grandmother to commit suicide in May 2018.
Reacting to Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami's arrest, information and broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar described it as "an attack on press freedom" in Maharashtra and said it reminded of the "Emergency days".
Union minister Smriti Irani condemned the arrest saying if those in free press don't stand up in support of him then they are tactically in support of fascism.
Apart from them, law minister and senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad described the arrest of Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami as "seriously reprehensible, unwarranted and worrisome."
"The arrest of senior journalist Arnab Goswami is seriously reprehensible, unwarranted and worrisome. We had fought for freedoms of Press as well while opposing the Draconian Emergency of 1975," Prasad said in a series of tweets.
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