'Arnab Goswami arrested for reporting the truth': Meena Das Narayan slams police action

On Wednesday, senior journalist Meena Das Narayan condemned the Mumbai Police and Maharashtra government for physically assaulting and arresting Republic Media Network's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami and urged PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to take necessary actions. Taking to Twitter, Narayan stated that 'the best journalist' was openly arrested for 'reporting the truth'. 

Mumbai Police assaults and arrests Arnab Goswami

READ | Arnab Goswami Takes On Mumbai Police's Hawala Charge, Shows Republic's Week 1 Ratings

Over a dozen officers of the Mumbai Police reached Arnab's residence in Mumbai's Parel at 6:30 am and blocked all the entry and exit points soon after. It also blocked Republic Media Network's Editors Niranjan Narayanswamy and Sanjay Pathak from entering Arnab's residence.

Mumbai Police encounter-specialist API Sachin Vaze confirmed to Republic that Arnab Goswami was arrested in a case that has been closed, that has nothing to do with the TRP case in which there has been an attempt to implicate Republic. He has been taken to the Raigad police station.

READ | Mumbai Police At Arnab Goswami's Residence; Over A Dozen Officers; No Summons, No Papers

This arrest came after Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh called Arnab "the biggest hawala operator in the city of Mumbai." Responding to Param Bir's ridiculous claim, Arnab asserted that the network sustains only on the blessings of the viewers. Speaking on 'The Debate' on Tuesday, he brought to the viewers' attention a piece of paper that is framed in his office. Mentioning that it showed the first week of television ratings when Republic TV was launched, he recalled that the channel topped the ranking charts then itself.

READ | 'Waiting': Netizens Demand Param Bir's Response As Arnab Goswami Fires Interview Invite

Mumbai Police's witch-hunt against Republic 

So far, Republic Media Network's management and editorial staff including Republic’s Senior Associate Editor Shawan Sen, Executive Editor Niranjan Narayanaswamy Output Editor Sagarika Mitra, Senior Associate Editor Shivani Guptahave have been questioned for over 150 hours in multiple cases that are beyond the initial fraud TRP matter. Despite the repeated questioning and summons, the journalists maintained that they won't reveal their sources. 

The Param Bir Singh-led Mumbai Police's brazen attempt to strike on press freedom has been exposed through the multiple sessions of unnecessary interrogation sessions. Taking it a step further, in a never-seen-before move, the Param Bir Singh-led Mumbai Police filed an FIR against the entire editorial team of the Network, invoking a 1922 British Raj-era law that had last been used in the Emergency-era.

READ | Republic’s Senior Associate Editor Shawan Sen, Executive Editor Niranjan Narayanaswamy Output Editor Sagarika Mitra, Senior Associate Editor Shivani Gupta