Published 13:03 IST, November 4th 2020
'This is disturbing,' says Sona Mohapatra slamming Maha Govt over Arnab Goswami's arrest
Singer Sona Mohapatra said Maharashtra Government wielding power like this in arresting Republic Media Network Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami was disturbing.
Republic Media Network Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami’s assault and arrest by Mumbai Police was condemned massively across the nation on Wednesday. Apart from Home Minister Amit Shah, support from national leaders and celebrities of the film industry poured in on Twitter. Singer Sona Mohapatra condemned the incident and called it ‘deeply disturbing'.
Sona Mohapatra backs Arnab Goswami
Reacting to the news of the arrest of Arnab Goswami, Sona Mohapatra stated that the Maharashtra Government was wielding its power in a ‘deeply disturbing’ manner. The Ambarsariya artist believed that if one had an issue with Arnab or his reporting, they should move court, but to ‘intimidate, bully, harass’ and finally arrest him was 'just NOT OK by a country mile'.
Kangana Ranaut had been among the other celebrities of the film industry to condemn the incident. “I want to ask Maharashtra government that today you went to Arnab Goswami's home, pulled his hair, and assaulted him. How many homes will you demolish and how many necks will you strangle? How many hair will you pull? Sonia Sena, how many voices will you stop? These voices will only increase. They have been many who have been hanged for free speech,” she said.
Actor Payal Ghosh also condemned the incident. BJP President JP Nadda, Union Ministers like Harsh Vardhan, Smriti Irani, also expressed their displeasure over the incident.
Republic's statement
This morning the entire country witnessed the operation of a police state in Maharashtra. At 7:45 am, Republic Media Network’s Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami house was encircled, his home was barged into, cameras forcefully turned off, he was physically assaulted and dragged out of his home in a police van.
In a black day of India’s democracy, the Editor-in-Chief of the number 1 news network of India was dragged by his hair and arrested. Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh's cops shut off cameras, and thrashed Arnab. They stopped Arnab from handing medicines to his parents-in-law and even physically assaulted his son. They refused permission for a written legal note be put on record. They paraded India's leading Editor-in-Chief, without a shred of evidence, as though he was a criminal. Arnab was not served summons prior and not even allowed access to his legal team.
Amidst open criminal intimidation and assault, encounter cop Sachin Vaze told Arnab, “You don't know what I am capable of.” The Mumbai Police in brazen disregard for all due process, integrity and any semblance of fair investigation, dragged Arnab Goswami by the collar to a crime branch unit police and physically attacked him inside his home. This, in spite of him repeatedly reiterating that he will cooperate.
As Arnab was being manhandled and pushed into a police van, by a battalion of armed police officers, he said, “They hit me. They physically assaulted me. I want to tell the people of India to fight for us.” He said, “my son was beaten-up.”
It is terrifying that the Mumbai Police and the state of Maharashtra are unapologetic and unhinged in misusing their office and uniform to undertake a physical attack, and open criminal intimidation even before the cameras against a citizen of India. Moreover, the attack on the Fourth Estate without evidence or verifiable facts, on the basis of a closed case being reopened with the sole aim to make an unwarranted arrest of Arnab Goswami is shocking and one that all of India stands against.
With regard to his legal team, Arnab Goswami was blocked by the Mumbai Police vis-a-vis having legal aid present. Encounter cop and Param Bir Singh’s right-hand man Sachin Vaze declared to Republic TV - Arnab Goswami has been arrested under the grave section of 306 of the IPC, in a mocked-up case. It may be recalled that fake charges of suicide were levelled against Arnab Goswami in 2018. The matter was investigated by the Mumbai Police and closed by a court of law after a closure report by the police noted that no case was made out.
Republic Media Network stands strongly against the Maharashtra Government and the Mumbai Police’s transparent abuse of power, the butchery of the rule of law, murderous assault on the free press of a democratic India.
The Mumbai Police’s nefarious design stands exposed before the world -- as they have gone from alleging a fake TRP scam to seeking editorial access to the Republic newsroom, from planting fake stories on Republic advertising deals to booking entire editorial staff under a draconian colonial act, from alleging a fake Hawala case to criminalising public hashtags -- and the latest forceful arrest of Arnab Goswami shockingly comes in a case that was closed by a court of law.
Updated 13:03 IST, November 4th 2020