Multiple FIRs Lodged By Congress Leaders Against Arnab Goswami For Accusing Sonia Gandhi Over Palghar Incident

Goswami is facing the ire of Congress after his verbal attack on Sonia Gandhi, questioning her "silence" over the Palghar mob lynching incident, in his programme on Republic Bharat news channel.

Goswami is facing the ire of Congress after his verbal attack on Sonia Gandhi. (File Photo/ AFP)

New Delhi: After agitated Congress workers filed multiple complaints against Republic TV editor Arnab Goswami, Delhi Congress Chief Anil Chaudhary on Thursday lodged a complaint with the police for registration of an FIR against the journalist. Goswami is facing the ire of Congress after his verbal attack on Sonia Gandhi, questioning her "silence" over the Palghar mob lynching incident, in his programme on Republic Bharat news channel. According to reports, the Delhi Congress president in his complaint to SHO of IP Extension police station demanded registration of the FIR against the journalist for alleged "propagation of hatred, promoting enmity among different religions, and false information through circulation of a falsely defamatory news on Republic Bharat channel".

Criminal Complaint against Arnab Goswami and others mailed to SHO I. P. Estate and copied to DCP and @CPDelhi for propagation of hatred, promoting enmity among different religions and defamatory remarks against Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi Ji. #ArrestAntiIndiaArnab pic.twitter.com/doZtxm6tlS

— Anil Chaudhary (@Ch_AnilKumarINC) April 22, 2020

Chaudhary said a copy of the complaint has been sent to the Delhi Police Commissioner for action. Apart from Delhi Congress, leaders of the grand old party from several other states also logged complaint against Goswami. An FIR has been registered against him in a police station in Chhattisgarh's Raipur. The FIR in the Civil Lines police was filed on the complaint of state Congress chief Mohan Markam under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, relating to promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc and deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs. In the complaint, Markam said that in his TV programme, the editor has instigated a crime and tried to disrupt communal harmony.

I have just filed a complaint against @republic's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami in Raipur for deliberately making inflammatory statements on his channel to invoke hatred among different communities and using derogatory language against Congress President Smt Sonia Gandhi. pic.twitter.com/jCErsyN2gZ

— TS Singh Deo (@TS_SinghDeo) April 22, 2020

Two local Congress leaders have lodged police complaints in Rajasthan's Bikaner and Hanumangarh districts against the Republic TV anchor. One complaint was lodged at the Nayashahar police station in Bikaner district on Thursday morning and the other at the Hanumangarh Town police station in Hanumangarh district on Wednesday night, police said. The complainant (in Bikaner) alleged that the journalist used derogatory remarks against Sonia Gandhi on a TV show. The case was registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, police said. The case was registered on a complaint by Yashpal Gehlot, who is a Congress functionary in Bikaner. Similar allegations of defamation and criminal intimidation were levelled in the FIR lodged in Hanumangarh Town police station by a former Hanumangarh district Congress chief Surendra Dadri.

Attack on mrs Sonia Gandhi by Arnab Goswami is highly condemnable. He has gone insane and crossed all limits, he should be ashamed of himself . I must ask the Editors guild - isn’t this all time low for journalism ? Mr Rajeev Chandrasekhar must sack him immediately.

— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) April 22, 2020

Goswami had questioned Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's "silence" over the Palghar lynching incident, in his programme on Republic Bharat news channel. In Jaipur, two police complaints were also filed in separate police stations on Wednesday night. In early hours of Thursday, two motorcycle-borne persons allegedly attacked Goswami's car in Mumbai and tried to break its glass window while he and his wife were on their way home. The incident took place on the Ganpatrao Kadam Marg, while Goswami was returning from a studio located in Bombay Dyeing Complex in Lower Parel area. In a video posted after the alleged attack, Goswami said he was told by his security guards that the attackers were allegedly Youth Congress workers. However, there was no confirmation of the same by either police or the youth outfit. In Delhi, BJP leaders, including party president J P Nadda, condemned the alleged attack on Goswami and targeted the Congress over the incident.  Law Minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad sought action against those involved in the incident. Objecting to Goswami's remarks on Sonia Gandhi, the Congress asked the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to take action against the journalist and his TV channel, alleging that they violated broadcasting rules during a show. (With inputs from agencies)