Central government ministers corner opposition over arrest of Arnab Goswami

The central government has condemned the arrest of Republic Media Network’s Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami by Mumbai Police.

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in a tweet that this attack on free press must be and will be opposed.

Congress and its allies have shamed democracy once again.

Blatant misuse of state power against Republic TV & Arnab Goswami is an attack on individual freedom and the 4th pillar of democracy.

It reminds us of the Emergency. This attack on free press must be and WILL BE OPPOSED.

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) November 4, 2020

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar took to Twitter to share the Modi government’s stand on the matter. “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,” the I&B Minister wrote.

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

Republic TV reported that Goswami was arrested on Wednesday morning from his residence in a 2018 abetment to suicide case under Section 306 IPC, which has now been re-opened after being closed earlier.

Union Minister for Law & Justice, Communications, Electronics & Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad too called out the action by Mumbai Police in his tweets.

One can differ, one can debate and one can ask questions too. However arresting a journalist of the stature of #ArnabGoswami by abuse of Police power, because he was asking questions, is something which we all need to condemn.

— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) November 4, 2020

Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Union Cabinet Minister for Textiles and Women & Child Development Smriti Irani and Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma too took Twitter to condemn the arrest.

Shades of the Emergency!
The arrest of Arnab Goswami is an attack on the freedom of press. Those who really believe in this freedom must speak up!

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) November 4, 2020

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

.@republic Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami physically assaulted & arrested by Mumbai police is nothing but muzzling freedom of press by the vindictive M'rashtra govt. Strongly condemn this shameless politically motivated Mumbai police action. It's like Emergency days in Maharashtra

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) November 4, 2020

The Editors' Guild of India expressed shock. "We condemn the sudden arrest and find it extremely distressing. The guild calls upon Maharashtra to ensure that Goswami is treated fairly and state power is not used against critical reporting by the media," the top media body said in a statement.

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