Republic TV‘s Editor in Chief Arnab Goswami‘s arrest has invited a lot of outrage and protests from netizens. Arnab Goswami has been arrested in a two-year-old suicide case in which investigations were reopened recently,
the Mumbai police said. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar, condemning what he called an attack on press freedom in Maharashtra, said the arrest “reminds us of the Emergency”.
“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,” Prakash Javadekar tweeted as reports emerged of Arnab Goswami’s arrest.
The Republic Editor-in-Chief has been arrested for allegedly abetting the suicide of a 53-year-old interior designer, Anvay Naik, and his mother, in 2018.
Mr. Goswami was arrested from his home in Mumbai this morning. He claimed that he was manhandled and assaulted by the police before being pushed into their van.
News agency ANI quoted him as saying that Mumbai Police “physically assaulted his mother-in-law and father-in-law, son and wife”. In videos aired by Republic TV, policemen were seen holding the Editor as they were attempting to take him away.
The architect had reportedly named Arnab Goswami in a suicide note and alleged non-payment of dues by Republic TV. In May, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had announced that the suicide of architect Anvay Naik was being reinvestigated after a fresh complaint by Adnya Naik, his daughter.
