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Following HC order, Arnab Goswami reaches NM Joshi Marg police station for interrogation
A case has been registered against Arnab Goswami for allegedly instigating hatred against the Muslim community while anchoring a programme on April 29 on the protests by stranded migrants outside the Bandra railway station on April 14.
Republic TV’s editor-in-chief and prime-time anchor Arnab Goswami on Wednesday afternoon reached Mumbai’s NM Joshi Marg police station for interrogation in connection with the case registered against him at Pydhonie police station for allegedly instigating hatred against the Muslim community while anchoring a programme on April 29 on the protests by stranded migrants outside the Bandra railway station on April 14.
On Tuesday, the Bombay high court (HC) had asked Goswami to be present at Pydhonie police station while hearing his application seeking the first information (FIR) against him be quashed.
Pranay Ashok, Mumbai police spokesperson and deputy commissioner of police (DCP), said, “Arnab Goswami reached NM Joshi police station at around 2.15pm on Wednesday while responding to the summons issued by Pydhonie police station authorities a day before.”
Suresh Gaikwad, the investigating officer in the case and an inspector with Pydhonie police station, along with his team arrived before Goswami reached NM Joshi Marg police station.
“Initially, Pydhonie police station authorities will question Goswami. Later, the NM Joshi Marg personnel may also quiz him related to another case registered against him, where he had made a derogatory statement about Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in connection with the lynching of two Hindu seers in Palghar on April 16,” said a senior Indian Police Service (IPS) official, requesting anonymity.
Goswami was summoned to Pydhonie police station on the basis of a complaint by Irfan Abubakar Shaikh, secretary, Raza Education Welfare Society.
Sheikh had alleged in his FIR that Goswami tried to create hatred against the Muslim community and targeted a Bandra-based mosque that had no links to a protest by stranded migrant workers, who wanted to go back to their native places on April 14, when lockdown 1.0, which was imposed to contain the spread of the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, restrictions were slated to be lifted.
Shaikh had alleged that Goswami on his April 29 show tried to spread hatred against Muslims.
“The mosque near the Bandra railway station is not linked to the stranded migrant workers’ protest. The workers had only gathered in an open space near the mosque. But Goswami deliberately highlighted the mosque on his show on April 29 to create communal disturbances in Mumbai,” Shaikh alleged.
“The raging debate on the Republic TV was aimed at blaming the Muslim community for spreading Covid-19 in Mumbai. Earlier, too, he made hate-filled comments, targeting the community,” he further alleged.
The FIR was registered 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).
Lawyers from Phoenix Legal, who are representing Goswami in the cases, couldn’t be contacted, despite HT’s attempts.