Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Nov 4: Even as many BJP leaders including its national president J P Nadda and several union ministers raised the cries of murder of the freedom of press in the arrest of the Republic TV chief Arnab Goswami, the Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena chief wondered whether the arrested journalist was a member of the BJP.
A stream of tweets have started coming since morning as the Republic TV broke the news of Goswami’s arrest by the Mumbai police early on Wednesday morning. Among those to condemn the arrest connecting with attack on the freedom of the press and reminiscent of the days of emergency in mid-1970’s, were the union home minister Amit Shah, external affairs minister S Jaishankar, information and broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar. Nadda and many others. They claimed that even though emergency was “defeated” in 1977, the Congress and now along with it the Shiv Sena “carry the same mentality.”
Commenting on the tweets, the Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena spokesperson Anil Parab said the arrest of Goswami for alleged instigation to an interior designer and his mother to commit suicide was “not an attack on the freedom of press” in any way and slammed the BJP over its protests against the arrest and questioned if Goswami was a BJP activist.
Goswami was arrested in Mumbai by Raigad police for allegedly abetting the suicide of 53-year-old interior designer Anvay Naik in 2018. Parab said Naik’s widow had moved court seeking re-investigation and the police arrested Goswami after the court order.
“This case is not connected to the freedom of press in any manner. BJP workers and leaders are complaining as if Arnab Goswami is their functionary and he was falsely arrested. He has been arrested in the case for further investigation. Where does the question of freedom of press or arise in this? Parab asked.
Parab said that Naik had named Arnab Goswami and two others in his suicide note, alleging that they had not paid his fees for the construction of the Republic TV studio forcing him to end his life. “The investigation on this suicide was not done at that time. Anvay Naik’s wife moved court and it granted permission to police to investigate the case,” he said and added, “I reiterate that there is no vindictive action or attack on freedom of press from the government. The investigation in the cases has restarted after a court order.”
Slamming the BJP, Parab said, “The question here is why is BJP shielding Arnab Goswami. A Marathi woman lost her husband… The BJP is shielding a man because of whom the woman has lost her husband and is giving it an angle of Emergency and attack on freedom of the press. If a man is arrested in connection to a case, does it mean the state is going towards Emergency?” He asked why there was no hue and cry over the arrest of the other two accused in the case. “Does it mean that BJP wants to save a person because of whom a man was allegedly driven to suicide?”
The Sena leader went on to call Goswami a “parrot” of BJP, who could squeal on those at whose behest the case was suppressed in the previous government. “BJP’s parrot has been arrested and put in the cage today. I think it will have to be investigated whether BJP’s life is in this parrot,” he said.
Parab said the state government would inquire why the case was not investigated properly when it came to light earlier. He added, “Strict action will be taken against those police officers who are found to be guilty to suppress the case. The government will inquire in this matter,” he said.
Even as Goswami claimed that he was assaulted by the police after his arrest, the family members of the deceased interior designer Anvay Naik thanked the Mumbai police “for finally taking action against the guilty.”
Soon after Goswami’s arrest by the Alibaug police, Naik’s wife Akshata and daughter Adnya Naik told media persons, “We can’t forget the year 2018. We want to thank Maharashtra Police for standing by a daughter of Maharashtra.”
“My husband in his suicide note had mentioned three names but no action was taken against them. Arnab Goswami is behind my husband’s death and I request every single Indian not to help him. Maharashtra police’s action is justice for us,” said Akshata Naik.
Adnya said, “My father spent his money, energy, blood and sweat on the project. Despite all that, Goswami ensured my father did not get his dues. He continuously threatened my father saying that he will finish his career and my career.”
Adnya also levelled allegations against the former investigating officer in the case Suresh Wadare.
“Between February and March 2019 we had gone to Alibaug police station to collect my father’s suicide note and chemical analysis report. The investigation officer Suresh Wadare asked us to sign a paper and when we read it we found that they had mentioned a line the paper which read ‘We have filed this complaint to take revenge and now we want to take our case back.’ I remember this line but not the entire content. After reading the paper, I tried to take a picture of that which the officer opposed and then he tore the page and asked us to leave,” Adnya said.
Adnya also alleged that Arnab was treated with privilege when he did not deserve it.
“Why was Arnab given privilege as an accused? Is he some god? His statement was recorded in the joint CP’s office in Mumbai police commissionerate. We met former Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Barve at that time. We met Anil Paraskar, SP Raigad several times and also wrote to PMO India. But no one helped us,”
She said her father’s case had been closed and she and her mother were not even aware of it.
“On my father’s death anniversary on May 5, 2020, we decided to raise our voice for justice and we uploaded some videos. Few days later Republic TV issued a statement on their Twitter handle saying that police had filed closure report in this case. It is then that we came to know that our case has been closed. The investigation was botched up earlier,” added Adnya.
She claimed they had filed four complaints after they started getting threats. “We have filed four complaints in 2020. Two at Murbad and two at Dadar police station after my mother and I started getting threats and people started following us,” said Adnya
When a journalist questioned them on which political party has supported them, Akshata said, “We don’t want to make it a political issue. We just want justice and a fair investigation.”
Goswami, meanwhile, on being produced before a court in Mumbai claimed that he was assaulted by police officials. He told the court that he suffered injuries on his hand, back and finger due to the assault. Following his allegation, he was sent back to the Alibaug police station where a civil surgeon has been asked to verify the claims. Goswami’s lawyer Gaurav Parker said he would be produced again in the court later.
According to reports, in May, 2018. Anvay was found dead at his first floor residence while his mother’s Kumud Naik’s body was found on the ground floor on the bed. According to a suicide note, Anvay alleged that he and his mother were forced to end their lives because he was not paid his dues amounting to Rs 5.40 crore by Arnab and two others identified as Feroz Shaikh and Nitesh Sarda – owners of two different firms. In 2018, the Alibaug police had filed a case of abetment to suicide but in 2019 the case was closed by Raigad Police.
The arrest comes at a time when an investigation against Goswami is underway in the TRP fraud case.
In a statement, the Editors Guild of India, however, expressed shock at the arrest of Goswami. In a statement, it said it was “shocked to learn about the arrest of Arnab Goswami” in the early hours of Wednesday. We condemn the sudden arrest and find it extremely distressing. The Guild calls upon the Chief Minister of Maharashtra to ensure that Goswami is treated fairly and state power is not used against critical reporting by the media,” it said.