Published 14:35 IST, October 26th 2020
Arnab fires statement of intent as Param Bir Singh intensifies attack on Team Republic
After over 150 hrs of questioning of the Republic Media Network's management & editorial staff, the Mumbai Police has summoned more of the network's journalists
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After over 150 hours of questioning of the members of Republic Media Network's management & editorial staff, the Mumbai Police has shockingly summoned even more journalists for questioning. If that was not all, the Mumbai Police has intimated that they will summon the entire newsroom if required. This follows a series of attacks on the company in an unprecedented witch-hunt and brazen strike on press freedom with multiple sessions of unnecessary interrogation sessions and a First Information Report on the entire Republic Editorial staff.
Arnab's statement
"I am sharing with a sense of disbelief that Param Bir has intensified attack on my journalists. He has started a series of summons. Journalists from our Delhi, Noida and Mumbai operations have been summoned. They are all being given under 24 hours notice. Even when some are recovering from COVID, the Mumbai police says they have to travel and be before their police stations. Apparently, he has asked his cops to go "all-out". During the interrogations, we are being told to tone down or else Param Bir will file more fake cases against us. In all, we have endured 150 hours of semi custodial interrogation. They say they want to 'break us'. As it is now public knowledge one of the interrogators is a Shiv Sena leader who has pending cases for charges like extortion. All Republic employees and journalists are resolutely fighting this. For us, this is a battle we are certain to win. We are exercising legal remedies. The courts will hear the people. I am shocked that the Uddhav government has endorsed the use of the 1922 British era law against my network. I say once again, the time has come for a mass movement against this injustice. I am a self-made media entrepreneur. I will fight my battle from Mumbai. The people of Mumbai and the people of India are with me. By way of this message, I am calling upon the people of India to fight this madness that the rogue cop and his insecure political masters have unleashed. Please share this message. In whichever way you can. We have to win this."
Mumbai Police’s witch-hunt on Republic
The latest summons came after Republic’s Deputy Editor Shawan Sen and Executive Editor Niranjan Narayanaswamy were questioned on Saturday. The duo were questioned again on the story about Mumbai Police officers being unhappy with commissioner Param Bir Singh amid the witch-hunt against Republic. The journalists maintained that they won’t reveal their sources.
Editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami had also lent his solidarity to his staff at the NM Joshi Marg police station where the questioning took place.
"It is quite clear to the people of India that Param Bir Singh has been caught and tapes released show he has put up fake witnesses. It is also a fact that 1000 journalists of the Republic Media Network now face an FIR. I want the people of India to know that the clause used by Param Bir Singh is a 98-year-old clause dating back to 1922 of the British Raj," said Arnab Goswami.
13:04 IST, October 26th 2020