Maharashtra Congress president Balasaheb Thorat said the party would be carrying out a State-wide agitation on Friday to demand the arrest of Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami over violation of the Official Secrets Act.
All party MLAs, MPs and Ministers have been asked to join a protest march to Mr. Goswami’s office in Worli. “WhatsApp chats between Mr. Goswami and a former official of Barc, Partho Dasgupta, have revealed serious issues, particularly in connection with the Balakot air strike. How did he get the information on February 23, 2019, three days before this action? Did he give this information to anyone else? He has himself admitted that the person who gave him this information is a big name in the Modi government. Therefore, an in-depth investigation is needed in the entire case,” said Mr. Thorat.
He said the manner in which Mr. Goswami has acted regarding such sensitive information amounted to violation of Section 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923. “He has violated official secrecy, which is also a form of treason. Therefore, the Congress party has demanded the immediate arrest of Goswami and strict action be initiated against him,” he said.
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“Goswami and his Republic TV have committed a number of illegal acts, including causing a loss of crores of rupees to Prasar Bharati by illegally using Doordarshan’s satellite frequencies. It is illegal for Republic TV to use their frequencies without paying the channel. This illegal act also needs to be investigated while investigating the TRP scam,” he said.
Mumbai Congress president Bhai Jagtap said he will be leading the march in Worli at noon, demanding the arrest of Mr. Goswami.