Mumbai police lie, “Arnab was using social media”, fact is he has no social media accounts.

The arrest of Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami sparked outrage among people in the country, many called it a “misuse of state power”. Arnab, who is known as a fearless speaker, was arrested by Maharashtra Police in connection with a 2018 suicide case.

On Sunday, Raigad police shifted Arnab to Taloja jail to continue his judicial remand. When asked why the police shifted Goswami to Taloja jail, police said that Arnab Goswami was caught using a mobile phone inside the make-shift quarantine center for prisoners in a municipal school in Alibaug, where he was earlier kept.

Jamil Shaikh, who is investigating the case, crime branch, said that they found him to be active on social media using someone’s phone. He said, “On Friday late evening, we learnt that Goswami was active on social media, using somebody’s mobile phone”. The police seized Goswami’s phone after he was arrested from his Worli residence therefore he didn’t have his own phone with him. “As the investigating officer of the case, I wrote to the Alibaug jail superintendent seeking an inquiry report as to how he got access to a mobile use in the quarantine centre. Thereafter, we decided to shift him to Taloja jail on Sunday morning,” the police officer added.

However, it has come to light that Arnab Goswami is not active on any social media. He does not have any social media account on any major social platform. Therefore, it must be noted how police can claim that Goswami was active on social media.

There is no known social account of Goswami, so the question arises where he was active as claimed by police. If indeed he had posted something on social media, it would have gone viral, but nothing such has happened. There is no evidence that Arnav Goswami was ‘active’ on social media in the last 4 days.

It is to be noted that phones are not allowed in jail, in such condition, how could Goswami have his phone. Police should be asked questions how Arnab managed to find a phone in jail with an active data connection despite heavy security.

The police officer remained silent on this. It remains to be seen that from whom Arnab purportedly took the phone, and how the alleged phone reached the jail. In the light of this, it seems that just like the false case on Arnab Goswami, this is also a plan drafted by the police to shift Goswami to Taloja jail, where several notorious criminals and underworld dons are lodged.

While he was being escorted to Taloja jail, Goswami shouted from the moving police van that his life is in danger. He alleged that the jailor assaulted him on Saturday. “My life is in danger, please tell the courts to help me,’’ he shouted from inside the van. Goswami further alleged that when he asked to let him talk to his lawyer, the jailer assaulted him.

Writer, historian, and activist Dharam Sikarwar is a very active author The Youth. He writes on national and international issues, environment, politics. He is an avid book reader as well.