Amid the ongoing cases against Republic TV, the Mumbai Police on Wednesday arrested Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami for allegedly abetting the suicide of a 53-year-old interior designer over alleged non-payment of dues.
In May, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had announced a re-investigation after a fresh complaint by Adnya Naik, daughter of the architect Anvay Naik. Adnya had accused the Alibaug police of not investigating the alleged non-payment of dues by Republic, which she claimed drove her father and grandmother to suicide in May 2018.
As per a Republic TV report, over a dozen officers of the Mumbai Police reached the residence of Goswami without summons, documents or court papers. He also claimed that he was manhandled by the police and pushed into their van during his arrest. Police allegedly also blocked senior management members Niranjan Narayanswamy and Sanjay Pathak from entering the journalist's residence.
The arrest comes a day after the Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh called Arnab Goswami 'the biggest hawala' operator in the city of Mumbai.
"The courts of the country are watching this absurdity and the planting of falsehoods despite their observations cautioning the Mumbai Police from such unprofessionalism. The multiple u-turns of the Mumbai Police show that it is floundering as the fake case has collapsed. The Mumbai Police has tried to blackmail and coerce random people into naming Republic. The CBI now has a copy of the tape of their witness coercion. This witch-hunt will end soon because more and more people have seen through Param Bir Singh’s tactics. I am absolutely certain that we will get justice from the courts," Arnab said in a statement on Tuesday.
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar took to twitter to express his concern over the mistreatment of press in Maharashtra and said it reminded him of the Emergency days
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.@PIB_India @DDNewslive @republic
— Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) November 4, 2020
Senior BJP leaders and several Union ministers, including Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda, too, rebuked the Congress over Goswami's arrest and called it an “attack on freedom of press”. The Congress is part of the chief minister Uddhav Thackeray led MVA government in Maharashtra.
Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly, Devendra Fadnavis, condemned the arrest and targeted the Congress.
Arnab is paying the price of exposing every plot and move by Congress party to protect & encourage the ones instigating communal violence.
— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) November 4, 2020
Who is sheltering Tukde Tukde Gang & Palghar priest murderers?
India wants an answer from Sonia ji & Rahul Gandhi !#EmergencyInMaharashtra
And the ð˜„ð-²ð-®ð-¸,ð-±ð-²ð˜€ð-½ð-²ð-¿ð-®ð˜ð-² ð- ð-©ð-" ð-šð-¼ð˜ƒt,dancing on tunes of Congress Party is taking Maharashtra towards emergency.
— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) November 4, 2020
Where are the advocates & activists for ‘freedom of press’ hiding?
All hypocrite souls are getting exposed today!#EmergencyInMaharashtra#AranbGoswami
In total, Republic Media Network's management & editorial staff have faced over 150 hours of questioning in a variety of cases like the TRP fraud.
