One of India’s top television anchors Arnab Goswami was arrested on Wednesday in connection with a two-year-old case of suicide, a Mumbai Police official said.
A team of policemen arrested Goswami, owner and chief editor of Republic TV, from his residence, senior police official Sachin Vaze said.
Goswami has been charged with allegedly abetting the suicide of 53-year-old interior designer Anvay Naik and his mother in 2018.
Naik’s family has alleged that he took his life after Goswami failed to pay his fee for designing a studio. Goswami has denied the charge.
Goswami had been arrested in connection with the case in 2018, but was released and the case had been closed.
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Naik’s family kept pushing for a thorough investigation and the case was recently reopened by the government of Maharashtra state of which Mumbai is capital.
Republic TV said Goswami and his family members were assaulted by the police and his arrest was “a vindictive attempt to punish Republic Media Network for speaking truth to power.”
Goswami has been frequently critical of the Maharashtra government and Mumbai Police.
Maharashtra state is governed by a coalition opposed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.
Known for his aggressive style of anchoring, Goswami openly supports Modi and his government’s policies in his nightly programmes.
There was widespread criticism of Goswami’s arrest.
The Editors Guild of India condemned the “sudden arrest” and asked the Maharashtra government to ensure Goswami is treated fairly and “state power is not used against critical reporting by the media.”
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