Union Minister Smriti Irani condemns arrest of Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami, urges people to stand up against ‘fascism’

Several top leaders including Union Minister Prakash Javadekar and Smriti Irani, today condemned in strongest terms the Maharashtra Police action against Arnab Goswami.

MUMBAI: Union Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday (November 4, 2020) condemned the arrest of Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami by the Raigad unit of Maharashtra Police and urged the people to stand up against ‘fascism.’

Reacting to Arnab’s arrest, Union Cabinet Minister for Textiles and Women & Child Development Smriti Irani tweeted, "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?"

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 ?

— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) November 4, 2020

Several top leaders, including Union Minister Prakash Javadekar, today condemned in strongest terms the Raigad Police action against Arnab Goswami.

Javadekar condemned the arrest of Arnab Goswami and 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."

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

The reactions came shortly after the Raigad unit of the Raigad unit of the Maharashtra Police raided the home of Republic TV owner Arnab Goswami on Wednesday morning and arrested him in an abetment to suicide case.

Confirming the development, a senior police officer Sachin Vaze said that Goswami was arrested in the abetment to suicide case of 2018, which had been closed earlier and has now been reopened.

The senior journalist has been arrested for allegedly abetting the suicide of a 53-year-old interior designer. A Mumbai Police official said that an architect and his mother committed suicide in 2018 over alleged non-payment of dues by Republic TV.

A police team reportedly swooped on the Republic TV`s chief and picked him up from his home even as his family protested while his colleagues started rushing to the spot for live coverage.

Arnab’s channel Republic TV strongly slammed the move for "parading the editor of a top Indian news channel like a criminal, pulled by the hair, threatened, not allowed to drink water" after 20-30 policemen barged there.

Speaking from one of the vehicles, Goswami alleged he was assaulted, even as his shaken colleagues made direct emotional appeals to Supreme Court and High Court judges "seeking justice" for what was happening right in the middle of Mumbai, in a telecast of the developments.

Goswami managed to speak from a police van that he was assaulted, his son was thrashed and his in-laws were pushed aside, and he was taken to Alibaug in Raigad.