I was assaulted by Mumbai Police, my life is under threat: Arnab Goswami

Mumbai: Arnab Goswami, Republic TV Managing Director and Editor in Chief, was shifted to Taloja Central Jail in Navi Mumbai by officials citing security reasons. Arnab had been lodged at the Alibaug Government School which has been turned into a quarantine centre since his arrest on November 4. While being taken to jail in a police van, Arnab claimed that he was pushed and assaulted and that there was a threat to his life. 

Arnab Goswami was arrested from his residence in an abetment to suicide case by the Raigad police under IPC section 306 (abetment of suicide) in a 2018 case pertaining to the suicide of an interior designer named Anvay Naik.The Raigad police had closed this case in 2019 but the same was reopened in May of 2020 after Anvay’s daughter Adnya approached the Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. The case was reopened and handed over to the CID for further investigation. 

On Sunday morning as Arnab was being moved out of the Alibaug Government School, where he was lodged for the last four days, he was seen shouting that his life was under threat and he was not being allowed to speak to his lawyers. "My life is under threat, my life is under threat, I'm not being allowed to speak to my lawyers, I was pushed and assaulted this morning, they said they won't allow me to speak to my lawyers, please tell the people of the country my life is under threat."

On Saturday, giving no relief to Arnab Goswami, the Bombay High Court reserved its order on his bail plea after his arrest by Maharashtra Police in the  case. Simultaneously, a division bench comprising Justice SS Shinde and Justice MS Karnik allowed Goswami to approach the lower court for seeking regular bail under CrPC Sec 439 which can be decided within four days after hearing all the parties concerned.

The Raigad Sessions Court posted for hearing on Monday a plea by the Raigad Police challenging an order of the Chief Judicial Magistrate Sunaina Pingle granting 14 days' judicial custody to Goswami. The police have sought his custody.