Mumbai: The face-off between Mumbai Police and Republic TV has intensified as the former booked senior editors and newsroom staff of the Arnab Goswami-led news channel Thursday for airing news about a “revolt” within the force against Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh.
The FIR, registered at the N.M. Joshi Marg station, invokes sections of the Police (Incitement to Disaffection) Act, 1922, and claims the editors and staff concerned “attempted to incite disaffection” among members of the police force and defamed Mumbai Police with the report.
ThePrint has accessed a copy of the FIR, which names, among others, Republic TV deputy news editor Sagarika Mitra, senior associate editor and anchor Shivani Gupta, deputy editor Shawan Sen, and executive editor Niranjan Narayanswamy.
The FIR is based on a complaint filed by Shashikant Pawar, a sub-inspector posted at Mumbai Police’s social media lab.
The complainant has alleged that the editors mentioned in the FIR “conspired” against the state government and senior police officers of the Mumbai Police to “intentionally create a sentiment of disaffection and hatred”.
“Knowing that there is a possibility of creating a sentiment of disaffection, without any credible information or proof, they telecast that Mumbai Police officers are preparing to rebel against Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh and that there is dissatisfaction against him,” the FIR said, quoting the complainant.
“They defamed the Mumbai Police force where I am working and which has a bright tradition,” the complaint added.
In a statement issued Friday evening, Republic TV said the FIR “achieved a new global feat of state machinery trying to muzzle the voice of the free media”.
#RepublicWitchhunt | In a brazen abuse of office, the Mumbai Police has booked the entire Editorial Staff of Republic and achieved a new global feat of state machinery trying to muzzle the voice of the free media. pic.twitter.com/s22d52y2Tc
— Republic (@republic) October 23, 2020
The FIR comes amid a months-long tussle between Mumbai Police and Republic TV, including over the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June. Republic TV has repeatedly raised questions about the Mumbai Police’s investigation into Rajput’s death, which the channel claims was a murder.
Earlier this month, Mumbai Police booked Republic TV and two Marathi channels for allegedly fudging television rating points (TRPs) to gain an edge over rivals.
Also Read: Mumbai Police accuses Republic TV of fudging TRPs, Arnab says commissioner ‘targeting’ it
The news report
On 22 October, Republic TV aired an “exclusive” news report in connection with the alleged TRP scam, and talked about a “rebellion” brewing “against the Mumbai top cop within the Mumbai Police”.
“Policemen part of the (TRP) investigation have revealed to Republic how they are being forced to go after the network for the personal agenda of Param Bir Singh that is destroying the credibility of the Mumbai Police,” anchor Shivani Gupta said.
Top leaders of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government had also had a meeting and expressed concerns over the issue, the report claimed.
In the report, Sagarika Mitra from Republic TV’s Mumbai bureau said Shawan Sen was following the case very closely. Multiple officers — a member of the crime branch, a senior police officer and a third who is privy to the details of the case —“have gone on record” to say that the Mumbai top cop is on a “witch-hunt” against Republic, she added.
According to her, a senior MVA leader had confirmed to Republic TV that Singh’s action has caused the government major embarrassment.
In his complaint, sub-inspector Pawar said a part of his job is to monitor social media and news networks to screen them for any potential information that can disrupt law and order, and flag these to senior police officers.
His statement quotes certain lines from the news report such as “Param Bir Singh is hell bent on tarnishing the image single handedly tarnishing the image of the Mumbai Police” and “there is now a rebellion of swords brewing from his subordinates (sic)”.
Mumbai Police vs Republic TV
Republic TV is owned and managed by ARG Outlier Media Asianet News Private Limited, which is a subsidiary company of SARG Media Holding Private Limited, of which Arnab and his wife Samyabrata Goswami are co-founders and promoters, and own 93 per cent of the shares.
Goswami and his channel have had repeated run-ins with Mumbai Police over its reportage in the last several months.
In April, Mumbai Police questioned Goswami after he was booked for making allegedly defamatory statements about interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi while discussing the Palghar lynching case. The same month, two youth Congress workers were also held for allegedly attacking Goswami while he was on his way home.
In June, Mumbai Police summoned Goswami for another round of interrogation when a complaint was filed against him for allegedly creating communal disturbance through his TV show over a gathering of migrant workers at Mumbai’s Bandra in April, during the Covid lockdown. The complainant said Goswami, through his show, tried to spread hatred against Muslims.
Last month, the Shiv Sena asked cable operators to take down Republic TV from their networks, saying Goswami had “insulted” Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, and also cited the channel’s “media trial” in the Rajput probe. In its letter to cable operators, the party had criticised Republic TV for defaming the Mumbai Police Commissioner.
Also Read: BARC ‘highly disappointed’ with Republic, says network misrepresented its private email