Twitter divided over Arnab Goswami’s arrest by Maharashtra police

Mumbai: Netizens on Twitter are divided over the arrest of Arnab Goswami, Editor-in-Chief of Republic TV, in a two-year-old abetment to suicide case. The Maharashtra Police picked up Goswami from his Alibaug residence at 6:30 am on Wednesday morning.

In a video, he was seen being pushed into the police van. Goswami claimed that he was assaulted by police at his home while being taken away.

Twitter is torn between those who are condemning this action taken by the police and those who are supporting them. Of those who condemned the arrest are Home Minister Amit Shah, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javdekar, Textiles Minister Smriti Irani, Actress Kangana Ranaut, Editors Guild of India, among others.

‘Attack on Press Freedom’: Popular figures condemn Arnab’s arrest

While Amit Shah called it ‘blatant misuse of state power’, Prakash Javdekar tweeted that the arrest ‘reminds us of the emergency days.’ Several other union ministers from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) too stood in support of the journalist.

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

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

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

Actress Kangana Ranaut too slammed the police and Maharashtra government on the arrest.

Message for Maharashtra government @republic #Arnab #ArnabWeAreWithYou #ArnabGoswami pic.twitter.com/AJizRCitS7
— Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) November 4, 2020

Along with several other popular journalists, Editor’s Guild too issued a statement condemning the arrest. The Guild asked the Maharashtra chief minister to “ensure that Goswami is treated fairly and state power is not used against critical reporting by the media.”

The Editors Guild of India has issued a statement on the arrest of Arnab Goswami, editor-in-chief of Republic TV. pic.twitter.com/gL3MstVlla
— Editors Guild of India (@IndEditorsGuild) November 4, 2020

With the hashtags #IndiaStandsWithArnab #WeAreWithYouArnab, thousands took to Twitter and stood in support of the Republic TV’s Editor-in-Chief.

The vengeful attack on @republic & desperate arrest of #ArnabGoswami is reminiscent of Indira Gandhi’s Emergency.

Freedom of Speech & Individual Democratic Rights have been tossed away.

This is Sonia Gandhi’s EMERGENCY.

Her silence speaks volumes.
— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) November 4, 2020

Arrest in a 2-3 year old case which had been closed by police itself…!! This is wrong. Plane and simple. Shows desperation #ArnabGoswami
— Manak Gupta (@manakgupta) November 4, 2020

The events in Maharashtra are a reminder of dark days of Emergency. The MVA government is hounding media in the worst way possible. This is total suppression of democracy and blatant misuse of state power.#ArnabGoswami
— Kailash Vijayvargiya (@KailashOnline) November 4, 2020

‘Deserves no sympathies’: Several stand with Mumbai Police on the arrest

However, scores of Twitter users, including Aam Aadmi Party and Congress leaders stood in support of Mumbai Police and the Maharashtra government and said that the journalist ‘deserves zero sympathies’.

Arnab Goswami deserves zero sympathy. That's the tweet. #ISupportMumbaiPolice
— Akshay Marathe (@AkshayMarathe) November 4, 2020

The criminals in press don't have impunity. #ArnabGoswami is responsible for a death by suicide.

It's horrifying to see the Central Govt openly supporting a criminal! https://t.co/lE8Qd30O9j
— Gaurav Pandhi (@GauravPandhi) November 4, 2020

It is horrifying to see the .@BJP4India Govt is openly supporting #ArnabGoswami, who is responsible for a death by suicide.
The Bhakts had showed concern about Godi Media.
But they are still silent regarding Hathras and Munger massacre.#WellDoneMumbaiPolice @HansrajMeena pic.twitter.com/I0mEt42gwa
— Tripura Pradesh Youth Congress (@iyctripura) November 4, 2020

#ArnabGoswami and #sameetthakkar episode should teach an important lesson to those who speak out against jihadi-commie-‘liberal’ ecosystem: u r completely on ur own.
No party, politician, or media will come to ur help when u need them.#WellDoneMumbaiPolice #JusticeForAnvayNaik pic.twitter.com/AN1uYyK3fj
— Shajahan Ali Ahmed (@SHAJAHAN___INC) November 4, 2020

https://twitter.com/HansrajMeena/status/1323834621398691840

#WellDoneMumbaiPolice

Salute to @MumbaiPolice @CPMumbaiPolice

But this should have been done in 2018. We can understand during that time you people were influenced by then ruling party BJP.

Anyways hope #Anvaynaik gets justice this time.
— Bonnie 🇮🇳🇨🇵 (@bonneyrajan) November 4, 2020

Did @AmitShah speak up when a journalist from Kerala was arrested & slapped with the draconian UAPA for simply reporting on the Hathras case? #ArnabGoswami has been arrested for allegedly abetting a suicide, not for his journalism (or lack thereof) https://t.co/dX59dDZioc
— Dr. Shama Mohamed (@drshamamohd) November 4, 2020

Some are genuinely curious. Columnist and author Tavleen Singh wrote: “Arnab’s arrest is wrong. What is intriguing though is the list of senior ministers speaking up for him. Why have they never spoken when other journalists have been arrested on flimsy grounds by BJP chief ministers? What does this tell us?”