'Reprehensible, worrisome': Union Ministers condemn arrest of Arnab Goswami
Shortly after Mumbai and Raigad police arrested Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, several Union Ministers and BJP leaders have condemned his arrest and have lashed out at the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government. Union Home Minister Amit Shah took to Twitter and 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 fourth pillar of democracy. It reminds us of the Emergency. This attack on free press must be and WILL BE OPPOSED.”
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.
Arnab Goswami was on Wednesday morning arrested by the Mumbai and Raigad police on charges of abetment of suicide. The case pertains to the 2018 suicide of interior designer Anvay Naik, who was allegedly unpaid after he worked on Republic TV's studios. The Maharashtra government had reopened the investigation into the case in May 2020.
Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar said Arnab's arrest reminds people '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. "We condemn the Congress, led by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, for its fascist and emergency mindset, which is on display in Maharashtra," he said in another tweet.
Union Minister Smriti Irani also tweeted in support of Arnab. "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?" she said on Twitter.
Ravi Shankar Prasad called Arnab's arrest "reprehensible, unwarranted and worrisome." "We had fought for freedoms of Press as well while opposing the draconian Emergency of 1975 (sic)," Prasad tweeted. "Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have openly attacked Narendra Modi govt through motivated charges of attack on institutions yet they are completely silent when their own govt in Maharashtra is blatantly suppressing freedom of press. Textbook case of hypocrisy!" he added in another tweet.
Are we returning to an age of facism and dictatorship in the garb of democracy?
— Dr Jitendra Singh (@DrJitendraSingh) November 4, 2020
Vendetta politics exceeding all limits.Absolutely no ground to arrest #ArnabGoswami.Minimum that the Maharashtra Govt can do to vindicate the freedom of press is to release him immediately.@Republic
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.
The Editors Guild of India has also condemned Arnab’s arrest, calling it ‘extremely distressing.’ “The Editors Guild of India is shocked to learn about the arrest of Arnab Goswami, editor-in-chief of Republic TV, in the early hours of Wednesday by the Police. Goswami was arrested from his Mumbai residence on reportedly an abetment to suicide case. We condemn the sudden arrest and find it extremely distressing. 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,” the statement read.
The Editors Guild of India has issued a statement on the arrest of Arnab Goswami, editor-in-chief of Republic TV. pic.twitter.com/gL3MstVlla
— Editors Guild of India (@IndEditorsGuild) November 4, 2020
Several prominent journalists and celebrities have also spoken against Arnab's arrest, stating that it sets a ‘dangerous trend’.
Arresting Arnab is WRONG. I couldn’t disagree more with him & his nightly diatribes many of them dangerously communal but this is a dangerous overreach by the police. He should be released immediately #ArnabGoswami
— sonia singh (@soniandtv) November 4, 2020
Arnab’s arrest is wrong only because it seems to stem from a place of vendetta instead of an extensive police investigation into the suicide case. But vendetta is something Arnab should be familiar with. He has unleashed it on several ordinary citizens for a while now...
— Rohini Singh (@rohini_sgh) November 4, 2020
You don’t have to agree with Arnab Goswami’s journalism to disagree with his arrest. It’s plain wrong. When the keepers of law brazenly abuse it, we’re on a slippery slope.
— Palki Sharma (@palkisu) November 4, 2020
The arrest of #ArnabGoswami is a blot on India's clean record when it comes to press freedom - where no journalist is ever harassed, booked, raided, arrested or shot dead.https://t.co/viOQllvbju
— Akash Banerjee (@TheDeshBhakt) November 4, 2020
Message for Maharashtra government @republic #Arnab #ArnabWeAreWithYou #ArnabGoswami pic.twitter.com/AJizRCitS7
— Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) November 4, 2020