Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra police registered FIRs against Republic TV head and anchor Arnab Goswami for for spreading communal hatred, inciting violence and defaming Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
FIRs were registered under sections 120 B (punishment of criminal conspiracy), 153 (giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 153 A (attacks upon the religion, race, language etc), 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings) 298 (uttering, words with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings), 500 (punishment for defamation) 505 (intent to incite clash between communities) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Demanding arrest of the pro-Hindutva journalist, several Congress leaders including cabinet ministers lodged FIR against Goswami.
Arnab Goswami launched a full-blown attack on Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday when he blamed her for orchestrating the Palghar lynching.
“Would Sonia Gandhi have been quiet if Muslim preachers or Christian saints had been killed instead of Hindu sants,” Goswami said (in Hindi) on his show. “She’s quiet today, but I think she feels happy that Hindu sants were killed in a state where Congress has a stake in the government. She will send a report to Italy about the fact that she is getting Hindu sants killed in Maharashtra,” he added.
According to National Herald, one of the FIRs that was lodged at Police Station Civil Lines, Raipur at the behest of cabinet minister TS Singh Deo alleged that Goswami was guilty of defaming Congress president Sonia Gandhi and disturbing communal harmony.
Civil Lines police station, Bilaspur also registered an FIR accusing the tv journalist for defaming Sonia Gandhi and inciting communal sentiments while debating Palghar mob-lynching case.
FIR registered in Kotwali police station, says that Arnab’s “debates are full of poison and have shattered all principles of journalism”.
Nagpur police also registered an FIR against Goswami over a complaint filed by Maharashtra Power Minister Nitin Raut.
The FIR filed by the police include charges of giving provocation with intent to cause riot, promoting enmity between two groups on grounds of religion or race, deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs and defamation under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
