While reactions are pouring in from different quarters on Republic TV Editor Arnab Goswami’s arrest, Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma condemned the politically motivated Mumbai Police action.
Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is a close friend of Arnab Goswami, tweeted on Wednesday morning, and described the arrest of the Republic TV editor as “muzzling freedom of press by the vindictive Maharashtra government”.
“Strongly condemn this shameless politically motivated Mumbai Police action. It’s like Emergency days in Maharastra,” Sarma, who is campaigning for the BJP in Manipur, said.
.@republic Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami physically assaulted & arrested by Mumbai police is nothing but muzzling freedom of press by the vindictive M’rashtra govt. Strongly condemn this shameless politically motivated Mumbai police action. It’s like Emergency days in Maharashtra
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) November 4, 2020
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar too has condemned the arrest of Arnab Goswami for allegedly abetting suicide of a 53-year-old interior designer in 2018.
“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,” Javadekar tweeted.
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
Arnab Goswami, a journalist from Assam was arrested from his Mumbai residence on Wednesday morning.
The Alibaug Police on Wednesday morning detained Republic TV chief Arnab Goswami in connection with the death of interior designer Anvay Naik and his mother Kumud Naik in 2018.
Mumbai Police officials confirmed that Goswami has been arrested in connection with the 2018 suicide abetment case.
In May 2018, a 53-year-old interior designer Anvay Naik and his mother Kumud Naik had commited suicide in Alibaug in in Mumbai.
A suicide note purportedly written by Anvay was found in which he said that Arnab Goswami and two others — Feroz Shaikh and Niteish Sarda —had not paid him Rs 5.40 crore which led to his financial constraints.