Arnab Goswami on Palghar lynchings

Ever since Arnab Goswami took up the case of two sadhus’ lynching in Palghar Maharashtra and challenged India’s political leaders to speak, the issue has been dominating his editorials in the programs and tweets.

On 16 April near Gadchinchle village in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, there was a horrific incident of lynchin og two sadhus and their driver by a mob of around 109 people. The two sadhus, a 70 years old and a 36 years old were passing through the area when their car was spotted by the mob and attacked. All this happened in the presence of police –w ho claim to have been badly outnumbered and thus helpless.

Arnab went hammer and tong on the issue in his program on Republic TV and accused the media head honchos of keeping quiet by design. His passion ran high during those editorials and programs and his car was attacked by miscreants while Arnab and his wife were driving back home after the telecast. It was also alleged that the attackers were Congress workers who had been furious over Arnab’s public challenges and daring to Sonia Gandhi to make a statement on the issue.

Within hours several hundred FIRs were lodged against Arnab in various parts of India alleging he was inciting hatred among religious groups. Fearing his arrest, Arnab moved the Supreme Court of India and sought orders that no coercive action against should be taken against him. On April 24, the Surpeme Court granted the relief and gave him the option of making the application for an Anticipatory Bail within 3 weeks.

The same night Arnab publically thanked the apex court and confirmed his full faith in India’s justice system.

Those FIRs against Arnab  are now being probed under a single complaint at the NM Joshi Marg police station in Mumbai.

Various political motives have been attributed to the lynching incident and there are accusations against even some media organizations of working hand-in-glove with political, religious and social groups.

And Arnab is continuing to fire his editorial salvos using his program and twitter accounts which is irking almost everyone involved, including Maharashtra government, assigned with the job of investigating the matter – of not only lynching of sadhus but also of FIRs against Arnab. They have accused Arnab of interfering with the probe against him by using his tweets and television debates to browbeat the Mumbai Police. They claim Arnab is creating “fear psychosis” among the state police force impeding their ability to duly investigate the issue.

The relief granted to Arnab by the Supreme Court on April 24 is that is irking the Maharashtra government the most. The relief prohibits the Maharashtra police from taking any coercive action for three weeks.

The Maharashtra government has sought urgent orders to restrain Arnab Goswami from engaging in acts that creates a “fear psychosis” tantamounting to interference with the investigation.

The state application says: “Petitioner (Goswami) considers indulgence granted by this Court as some kind of a license to indulge in unwarranted sensationalism and to ridicule, denigrate, and defame the police department and its officers.”

It is being alleged that a series of tweets against the police emerged after April 26 when Arnab was called by the police to join the probe.

The state police also blamed Arnab Goswami of showing the Commissioner of Police in bad light by making false charges against him on his 28 April program.

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