Mumbai police are also investigating Republic TV for allegedly manipulating TRP (Representational)
Mumbai:
Mumbai police issued an apparent cause notice to Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami on Tuesday about his alleged community comments during his coverage of the Palghar lynching case and the Bandra migrants incident in April this year. .
The notification has been sent under section 108 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), asking Mr. Goswami to show the reasons why a bond of good conduct should not be removed, a police officer said.
He has been asked to appear before the Special Executive Magistrate and the Assistant Police Commissioner of the Worli Division on Friday at 4 pm, the official added.
On April 21, Arnab Goswami held a debate on his program “Puchhta Hain Bharat” in Republic Bharat about the attack on two monks and their driver in Palghar of Maharashtra.
The notice on the cause of the show said during the debate (in Hindi) that Mr. Goswami asked if it was a crime to be a Hindu and wear saffron clothes and if the people would have remained silent if the victims had not been Hindus.
A case under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for “provoking to cause riots” and “promoting enmity between different groups on the basis of religion” and other sections has been registered against Goswami after the program, he added.
His comments could create communal discord and hatred between Hindus and Muslims, and the show drew strong reactions on YouTube, the ad said.
Only due to the coronavirus pandemic there was no violence, but the comments posed a threat to community integrity and public order, so, as a preventive action, the police had begun the process of making a commitment to good behavior on the part of Arnab Goswami, the official said. .
A 10 lakh rupee bond for the duration of one year with a guarantor “who is well known in society and who can control his behavior” will be taken from Mr. Goswami, he added.
The notice also mentioned that prior to the Palghar incident, Arnab Goswami had allegedly made provocative comments about a crowd of migrant workers who had gathered in front of the Bandra train station in Mumbai during the coronavirus-induced shutdown. Also in this case a police case was registered against him.
Mumbai police also recently launched an investigation against Republic TV and two other channels for allegedly manipulating the Television Rating Points.
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