The Mumbai police Wednesday detained Arnab Goswami for allegedly abetting the suicide of an interior designer in 2018. It’s not yet clear if he was arrested as well.
The Republic TV editor alleged the police assaulted him while taking him away from his home early in the morning.
#WATCH Republic TV Editor Arnab Goswami detained and taken in a police van by Mumbai Police, earlier today pic.twitter.com/ytYAnpauG0
— ANI (@ANI) November 4, 2020
The interior designer, Anvay Naik, and his mother Kumud Naik were found dead in their home in May 2018. A suicide note purportedly written by Anvay claimed he had been forced to take his life because of financial problems caused by the non-payment of dues amounting to over Rs 5 crore by Goswami and two others. The police registered an abetment to suicide case but closed it in 2019. Here’s an explainer.
“In May 2020, Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh announced a fresh CID investigation into the case after Adnya Naik, daughter of Avnay Naik, approached him and complained that the Alibaug police had not investigated the ‘non-payment of dues from Arnab Goswami’s Republic’,” Hindustan Times reported.
Adnya Naik had complained to me that #AlibaugPolice had not investigated non-payment of dues from #ArnabGoswami's @republic which drove her entrepreneur father & grandmom to suicide in May 2018. I've ordered a CID re-investigation of the case.#MaharashtraGovernmentCares
— ANIL DESHMUKH (@AnilDeshmukhNCP) May 26, 2020
The police action against Goswami drew condemnation, including from union ministers Smriti Irani and Prakash Javadekar.
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. Who speaks if you are next ?
— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) November 4, 2020
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
Goswami's Republic TV is facing a separate investigation by the Mumbai police in connection with the alleged TRP scam.
Also Read: TRP scam: What’s the case against Republic TV and why does India Today find a mention?
Also Read: Who funded Arnab Goswami’s communal tirade over Palghar lynching?
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