On Wednesday, the Chhattisgarh unit of Congress party lodged a formal complaint against Arnab Goswami, editor in chief and founder of Republic TV channel, accusing him of “deliberately making inflammative & derogatory comments” against Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.
The first FIR was filed with the complaint of the energy minister and senior Congress member Nitin Raut at Sadar Police Station in Nagpur district of Maharashtra. The second Goswami FIR was reported with the Minister of Health T.S.Singh Deo in Chhattisgarh’s capital, Raipur.
Regarding his derogatory outburst against Sonia Gandhi, which he made during a Palghar lynching program on Republic TV, Goswami is undergoing heavy criticism.
Late in the evening, the police in Raipur had reported a FIR, officials said.
In Maharashtra, President Satyajeet Tambe of the State Youth Congress (YC) announced that he had brought a petition against Goswami and directed YC staff in all districts. Nitin Raut’s son Kunal, YC office bearer, sent a related petition to state power minister Nagpur.
Maharashtra’s MoS, Satej Patil reported that in the Palghar lynching case the government considers Goswami’s legal choices because they are reposedly promoting civic hate, as well as maligning Sonia Gandhi.
The Health Minister of Chhattisgarh T Singh Deo and President Mohan Markam, State Congress, approached the Police with a letter of formal complaint against Goswami in Raipur. The letter states, “His statements are divisive on the basis of religion. He made defamatory comments on the Congress national president, proof of which is available on YouTube.”
Singh Deo later tweeted: “I have just filed a complaint against… Arnab Goswami in Raipur for deliberately making inflammatory statements on his channel to invoke hatred…”
A senior Raipur police officer said, “We have received the complaint and are in the process of registering the FIR under Sections 153 (a) (promoting enmity on grounds of religion, race, etc), 295 (a) (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief). We are starting investigation.”
Randeep Surjewala tweeted a recording of the supposed commentaries of Goswami regarding Sonia Gandhi on his show.
In the clip tweeted by Surjewala, Goswami ostensibly says: “Aapki party aur aapke party ke Rome se aaye hue Italy waali Sonia Gandhi chup nahin rahti. Aaj woh chup hain, man hi man main mujhe lagta hai woh khush hai…woh khush hai ki santon ko sadkon pe maara gaya, jahan pe unki sarkar hai. Report bhejegi woh, woh Italy main report bhejegi main bol raha hoon.dekhiye jahan pe maine ek sarkar bana li, wahan pe Hindu santon ko main marwa rahi hun. Aur wahan se wah-wahi milegi.wah beta, wah..bohot acha kiya Sonia Gandhi Antonio maino.”
On Wednesday evening Goswami did not address a message he was delivered to him requesting his opinion on the FIR. Goswami however, who is host to a flagship debate on his site, opened the demonstration on the conduct of some members of Congress.
Goswami said, “I have no hesitation in saying to Sonia Gandhi, come arrest me,” praising all who stood by “ever since Sonia Gandhi threw a tantrum telling her few remaining chief ministers that she wants me immediately arrested.”
Addressing the Congress chief, he said, “Nobody is scared of you or your family any more”. He said the “thousand FIRs you are filing across India” showed her “nervousness”. He called Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh chief ministers as Sonia’s “puppets”, who, he said, have been asked by the Congress chief to arrest him.
On Twitter, the five leading trends on Wednesday night favored or demanded that Goswami to be detained
