Republic TV Editor Arnab Goswami was arrested on Wednesday by Mumbai Police in connection with an old abetment to suicide case.
He was arrested for allegedly abetting suicide of a 53-year-old interior designer and his mother in 2018.
According to the reports, Goswami claimed that he was manhandled and assaulted by Mumbai police while trying to arrest him.
Several ministers have condemned the arrest. Union Minister for Information and Broadcast Prakash Javadekar said the incident is a reminder of the “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,” Prakash Javadekar tweeted.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said, “Congress and its allies have shamed democracy once again. Blatant misuse of state power against Republic TV & Arnab Goswami is an attack on individual freedom and the 4th pillar of democracy. It reminds us of the Emergency. This attack on free press must be and WILL BE OPPOSED.”
Union Minister Smriti Irani 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. Who speaks if you are next ?”
The Editors Guild of India in a statement 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 statement said.
“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.
