Mumbai Police has once again summoned Republic TV’s Editor-in-Chief, Arnab Goswami, at 11 AM on Wednesday, on the basis of an FIR filed on May 3 for allegedly creating communal hatred.
Pranay Ashok, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) and spokesperson for Mumbai Police has told that Goswami has been summoned on the basis of by FIR by Irfan Abubakar Shaikh, secretary, Raza Education Welfare Society.
The FIR is based on a show in which Arnab allegedly blamed a Bandra based mosque for organizing a protest, by stranded migrant workers, against the union government for not providing railway services to take them back home.
“The raging debate on Republic TV was aimed at blaming the Muslim community for spreading Covid-19 in Mumbai. Earlier, too, he made similar hate-filled comments, targeting the community,” said Shaikh.
Mumbai Police has registered FIR under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, and language), 295A (deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings of any citizen) 500 (defamation), 505 (2) (spreading rumour or alarming news with intent to create or promote feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different religious, racial, language or regional groups or castes or communities), and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The FIR by Raza Academy and the investigation by Mumbai Police comes at the backdrop of the Congress party, headed by Sonia Gandhi, running a concerted campaign of pinning Goswami to the wall, by filing innumerable FIR’s against him in states ruled by the party.
Goswami questioned Congress President Sonia Gandhi over the Palghar mob lynching incident and called her by her maiden name “Antoniaa Maino”, and asked if she would have remained silent had Maulvis or Christian pastors were targeted the way Hindu Sadhus were targeted.
Goswami also said, “She (Sonia Gandhi) would prepare a list and send it to Italy, mentioning how she formed a government in a state, where Sadhus are now getting killed, and she would receive applause from there (Italy).”
What followed was a huge meltdown from the Congress, and a smear campaign against the Republic’s Editor-in-chief. Multiple complaints were filed yesterday against Arnab Goswami by agitated Congress workers. Finally, an FIR was also registered against him in a police station in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur upon a complaint by the State Congress chief Mohan Markam.
But, why this sudden outrage against Arnab Goswami? There is clearly a sense of intolerance that finds roots in the grand old party’s perception of how a journalist should behave.
First of all, Arnab Goswami has broken through the hegemony of the Lutyens’ journalists. All major media houses in India are situated in and around the Delhi-NCR region, especially in Noida. But Times Now, which was till very recently led by Goswami is headquartered in Mumbai.
The Republic head office is situated in Mumbai which detaches the leading media outlets from the Delhi-NCR region, and this has broken through the monopoly that was formerly enjoyed by the Lutyens’ media. The Congress itself no longer enjoys the kind of hold that it would have wanted to enjoy over the “eminent” journalists.
Arnab Goswami has been vocal against the Congress from the word go, and the Congress realised it the hard way during his prime time debates. He is no Barkha or Rajdeep who would ask soft questions to the Congress.
Congress loves to hate Arnab Goswami, because he is not the kind of journalist that the grand old party loves. He doesn’t pander to the oldest political party in India, and doesn’t shy away from asking tough questions of the Congress leaders.