Mumbai: The Maharashtra police on Wednesday arrested Republic television editor-in-chief, Arnab Goswami, from his house in connection with a suicide abetment case in 2018.
A police official has confirmed that Goswami will now be taken to Alibaug.
In 2018, an architect and his mother committed suicide over alleged non-payment of dues by Goswami's Republic TV, the official said.
Reportedly, police arrested Goswami for abetment to suicide in a 2018 case. Three persons' names were mentioned in an alleged suicide note which recently surfaced.
The note said Goswami did not pay Anvay Rs 83 lakh.
The Editors Guild of India condemned the arrest of Arnab Goswami.
"The Guild calls upon Maharashtra CM to ensure that Goswami is treated fairly and state power is not used against critical reporting by media," as said in their statement.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said the MVA government has never acted vindictively against anyone since it came to power last year.
He also claimed that the state government or any political party had nothing to do with the arrest.
"Proper procedure of law is followed in Maharashtra. Police can take action against anyone if they have evidence. The state government hasn't acted out of revenge," Raut told reporters when asked about Goswami's arrest.
"There is no anarchy in Maharashtra and law of the land is followed," Raut said, adding that Mumbai police is a professional force."
"It is not a black day for media. Journalists also should follow ethics. Media is not an investigating agency or court. This observation is of the highest court. We are all journalists. Whoever does anything wrong will be punished by the police," he said.
Meanwhile, senior BJP leaders reacted strongly to the police action against Goswami.
''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,'' said Prakash Javadekar, Union Information & Broadcasting Minister.
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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 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">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, 2020We 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
Minister of Textiles, Smriti Irani condemned the arrest and said, ''Those in the free press who don’t stand up today in support of Arnab, you are now tactically in support of fascism. You may not like him, you may not approve of him, you may despise his very existence but if you stay silent you support suppression.''
Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad described the senior journalist's arrest as "seriously reprehensible, unwarranted and worrisome."
He also questioned the silence of the Congress leadership when its government in Maharashtra was "blatantly suppressing freedom of press."
"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.
BJP questions
The BJP has questioned the arrest of Editor-in-Chief of Republic TV, Arnab Goswami. The party said, his arrest is the black day of Indian Journalism.
Briefing reporters in New Delhi, BJP Spokesman Sambit Patra condemned the arrest saying it is an attempt to curtail the voice of the free press.
Condemning the arrest of journalist Arnab Goswami, BJP president JP Nadda said, “India didn’t forgive Indira Gandhi for the Emergency. India never forgave Rajiv Gandhi for his assault on press freedom. And now, India will again punish Sonia-Rahul Gandhi for their brazen and intimidating use of state power to get equal with journalists.”
"This is yet another instance of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi-directed antic of silencing those who disagree with them," Nadda charged, while describing the entire incident as "shameful." Meanwhile, Congress Spokesperson
Sachin Sawant said," Arnab was saved by Fadnavis government in ṭhe Naik suicide case and BJP government pressurised Alibagh police in that time. But now the Maha Vikas Agahdi government has given justice to the Naik's family."
Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut also spoke in Defense of Arnab Goswami and shared a video on Twitter saying,'' Pappupro ko gussa kyun aata hai? Penguins ko gussa kyun aata hai? Sonia sena ko itna gussa kyun aata hai? No matter, you will silence, many others will rise,” she said.
In 2018, 53-year-old interior designer Anvay Naik and his mother Kumud Naik committed suicide over alleged non-payment of Goswami. Anvay allegedly wrote a suicide note in which she claimed that Goswami's channel has not paid him Rs 5.40 crore which led to his financial constraints.
In May this year, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had announced that a re-investigation has been ordered on a fresh complaint by Adnya Naik, daughter of the architect Anvay Naik.
Deshmukh had said Adnya alleged that the Alibaug police had not investigated the alleged non-payment of dues from Goswami's channel, which she claimed drove her father and grandmother to suicide in May 2018.
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