
Navya Singh
Navya writes and speaks about matters that often do not come out or doesn’t see daylight. Defense and economy of the country is of special interest to her and a lot of her content revolves around that.
Image Credit: Ankita INC/Twitter, Madhu/Twitter
Mumbai Police on Wednesday, November 4, detained Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami from his Mumbai residence in connection with the death of interior designer Anvay Naik and his mother Kumud Naik in 2018.
Several BJP leaders took to Twitter to condemn Goswami's detention and called it an 'attack on press freedom in Maharashtra'.
Congress and its allies have shamed democracy once again.
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) November 4, 2020
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.
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
How can you false arrest someone just because you don't like him?
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) November 4, 2020
Remember, Indians will fight back againt this kind of draconian act.
I condemn the forceful arrest of Journalist #ArnabGoswami
This is fascist intolerance towards freedom of expression.
Shades of the Emergency!
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) November 4, 2020
The arrest of Arnab Goswami is an attack on the freedom of press. Those who really believe in this freedom must speak up!
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
Arrest of Arnab Goswami is a move to throttle nationalist voice in media.Congress Emergency mindset is still there.#ArnabGoswami @Republic_Bharat @republic
— Sushil Kumar Modi (@SushilModi) November 4, 2020
Republic TV claimed that Goswami was "assaulted and dragged" by the cops. Goswami reportedly said that Mumbai Police also physically assaulted his mother-in-law and father-in-law, son and wife, News18 reported.
#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
In May 2018, a 53-year-old interior designer Anvay Naik and his mother Kumud Naik died by suicide in Alibaug.
A suicide note purportedly written by Anvay was recovered in which he alleged that Goswami and two others - Feroz Shaikh and Niteish Sarda - had not paid him a due of ₹5.40 crore which resulted in deterioration of his financial health. Republic TV at that time had dismissed all allegations of non-payment and attributed this to "malicious campaign". The channel also claimed that all the money was paid by Republic TV to Concorde Designs.
The monetary transaction had taken place during the construction of Republic TV studio.
The Alibaug police had filed a case of abetment to suicide in 2018, however, the case was closed by the Raigad Police in 2019.
In May 2020, Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh ordered a CID investigation into the case after Adnya Naik, daughter of Avnay Naik complained that the Alibaug police had not investigated the "non-payment of dues from Arnab Goswami's Republic".
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
Goswami's detention comes at a time when his channel is already under the scanner for TRP scam investigation.
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