Fresh FIR against Arnab Goswami, wife for resisting police officials who came to arrest him

Goswami was arrested in Mumbai on Wednesday morning for allegedly abetting suicide of a 53-year-old interior designer in 2018, a Mumbai Police official said.

The Mumbai Police on Wednesday evening filed a fresh FIR against Republic TV editor Arnab Goswami for resisting police officials who came to arrest him.

Goswami was produced before a court in Mumbai after his arrest where his lawyer claimed that the journalist was assaulted by two police officials who went to arrest him at his residence.(Satish Bate/HT file photo)

Sections 353, 504, 506 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) have been invoked in the news FIR has that been filed.

Goswami was arrested in Mumbai on Wednesday morning for allegedly abetting suicide of a 53-year-old interior designer in 2018, a Mumbai Police official said.

The police said that the designer Anvay Naik and his mother Kumud Naik were found dead in May 2018. According to a suicide note, Anvay alleged that he and his mother were forced to end their lives because he was not paid his dues amounting to Rs 5.40 crore by Arnab and two others identified as Feroz Shaikh and Nitesh Sarda - owners of two different firms, they added.

Goswami was produced before a court in Mumbai after his arrest where his lawyer claimed that the journalist was assaulted by two police officials who went to arrest him at his residence.

He further said that Goswami’s family members were pushed and the house was cordoned off for three hours. “There are abrasions on his left hand and an existing injury on his hand was tried to be torn apart by police,” said the lawyer Gaurav Parker.

Many central ministers and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have condemned the arrest.

While BJP chief JP Nadda drew a parallel to the Emergency in 1975, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman slammed the Maharashtra government and questioned where were media associations now.

The BJP workers in Maharashtra have decided to wear black badges or black clothes until Goswami is released.

The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) also condemened the manner in which Goswami was arrested.

The ruling Shiv Sena, meanwhile, dismissed the opposition BJP’s allegations of “politics of revenge” and “muzzling of the press freedom” in the case. Sena leader Sanjay Raut told reporters the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of the Sena, NCP and Congress has never acted vindictively against anyone since it came to power last year.

He also claimed that the state government or any political party had nothing to do with the arrest.