Arnab Goswami detained: Ministers, Editors Guild condemn police move

Arnab Goswami, Editor-in-Chief of Republic TV, has been detained by Raigad police in connection with abetment to suicide case filed against him following the death of an architect in 2018. According to the police, Arnab Goswami has been taken to Raigad regarding the investigation. “He shall be interrogated by the investigating officer and the further course of action will be decided accordingly,” Sanjay Mohite, IG Konkan Range said.

On being detained, Goswami alleged he was physically assaulted by the policemen. Republic TV aired visuals, which showed Goswami being forced into a police van. The aforementioned case was registered way back in 2018, when an architect and his mother committed suicide after alleged non-payment of dues by Arnab for the work performed by the architect.

Following Arnab’s detention, several politicians have given statements in his support. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said the incident is a reminder of 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,” he has tweeted.

Union Smriti Irani tweeted: “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 S Jaishankar also said the incident has “shades of the emergency.” Meanwhile, Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis tweeted, “Although emergency was defeated in 1977, the mentality is still alive today, the supporters of emergency-Congress and Shiv Sena are displaying the same undemocratic brutality to crush any voice of dissent.”