MUMBAI: Welcoming the action against Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami, the family members of interior designer Anvay Naik, who had committed suicide in 2018 over alleged non-payment of dues by the national channel said that the journalist had tried to ‘derail’ the probe.
Speaking to reporters, Naik’s daughter Adnya and wife Akshata claimed they had sent applications seeking justice to the PMO and Raigad superintendent of police. Earlier in the day, Arnab Goswami was arrested from him house in Mumbai by Alibaug Police on the charge of abetting the suicide of the 53-year-old interior designer, a police official said.
Naik’s wife thanked the police and said, “Maharashtra police are well capable to investigate this case. My husband had mentioned names of three persons including Arnab Goswami in his suicide note but no arrest was made then. He committed suicide only because his legitimate dues were not paid by the accused persons,” she said.
“We don’t want to get into politics. We don’t know any political party or persons. What we want is justice for our deceased father,” she said. Police had said that in a suicide note, Anvay Naik, who owned Concorde Designs Pvt Ltd, had claimed that he was ending his life due to non-payment of his dues by Goswami, Feroz Shaikh of IcastX/Skimedia and Niteish Sarda of Smartworks. In May, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh announced he has ordered a fresh probe in the case after a complaint by Adnya Naik.
‘Selective outrage’
Hitting out at the BJP over its criticism of Goswami’s arrest, the Congress on Wednesday said its ‘selective outrage’ on press freedom is ‘shameful’ and the law will take its own course in the case against the Republic TV editor-in-chief.
“Why are they silent when Prashant Kanojia is jailed for a number of months just because he exposed a scam where children were being served salt and chapati in Mirzapur?” Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said.
With inputs from New Delhi