Republic TV anchor Arnab Goswami’s car was allegedly attacked by two people on a bike in Mumbai late on the intervening night of 22 and 23 April while he was driving home along with his wife.
The alleged attack comes a day after Goswami raked up controversy for his remarks on Congress President Sonia Gandhi in his studio debate.
Goswami had said, "In India, being a Hindu and wearing the orange colour has become a sin. I ask that if a maulvi had been killed, would people be silent? Would Sonia Gandhi, who hails from Italy, be quite? Today, she is silent... I think she is happy in her heart that saints are being attacked in a state where she has formed the government. She will send a report to Italy saying that 'Where I formed government, I am getting saints killed,” Goswami had said.
Multiple FIRs have been filed across different states against Republic TV editor in chief for his controversial comments on the Congress president.
His TV channel Republic has put out a 5-minute video in which he has explained how the attack happened and what happened thereafter.
He narrated that at around 12:15 am when he was driving back from the studio in the Bombay Dyeing Complex in Lower Parel to his home with his wife, he noticed two men who were trying to drive parallel to his car. They then overtook the vehicle, forcing Goswami to hit the brakes, he added.
“At that point of time, one of the two people started pointing specifically at me and he turned his bike back and came right next to my car. Then they started hitting my car and trying to break the windowpane of my car. They were repeatedly hitting the windowpane of my car. Their attempt was to break the windowpane of my car; for a few seconds, I couldn't guess what was happening and took a little while to react. I ducked in that point of time,” he said.
Goswami said that he then managed to accelerate and enter his compound, which was about 500 metres away.
“I asked them (his security guards) what happened and who were these people and they said to me that they were Congress workers, youth Congress workers who had been sent to attack me and youth Congress workers who said that had tailed me and they were given instructions by their higher-ups, to attack me, to teach me a lesson. So I just want to tell you, Sonia Gandhi, that you are the biggest coward in this country right now,” he said.
He has filed a complaint with the NM Joshi police station.
“I want to tell this to everyone watching this tonight, that if anything was to happen to me, it is Sonia Gandhi who is responsible. The Sonia Gandhi and the Vadra family who cannot take my questions right now. I have asked legitimate questions, every fake news story of yours I have busted.”Arnab Goswami
The Mumbai Police said, “Last night Arnab Goswami and his wife were attacked. We have arrested two people and the investigation is on. The incident took place at Ganpat Rao Kadam Marg, Lower Parel. Both the accused have been booked under IPC 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) and IPC 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace).”
‘Sad to See Such Public Hounding of a Journalist’
Prakash Javedkar, the Information and Broadcasting minister condemned the attack on the journalist.
“We condemn the attempt to attack Arnab Goswami. We condemn every attack on any journalist. This is against democracy and it is really ironical that those who preach tolerance have become so intolerant. Therefore we condemn this attempt,” he said.
Jagat Prakash Nadda, National President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tweeted expressing shock.
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