Arnab, wife, son booked for 'assaulting' police officials

Mumbai Police on Wednesday registered a first information report against Republic TV's Editor in Chief Arnab Goswami, his wife, son and two others for allegedly assaulting police officials and trying to obstruct them when they reached his house here to arrest him.

A team of Alibaug police arrested Goswami earlier in the day for allegedly abetting the suicide of a 53-year-old interior designer and his mother in 2018.

While Goswami was heard claiming, while he was being taken away in a police van, that the police assaulted him in his house, the police registered an FIR against him, his wife and two others for allegedly assaulting officials and for verbal abuse.

The FIR was registered against him and others at N M Joshi Marg Police Station in Mumbai under IPC sections 353 (assault to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) and under the Damage to Public Property Act, an official said.

A woman police official, who was part of the team which arrested Goswami from his Lower Parel residence in Mumbai, filed the complaint, he said.

As per the complaint, Goswami, his wife, son and an unidentified man and a woman tried to obstruct the officials when they were arresting the journalist.

Goswami's wife tore up the arrest intimation papers which the police wanted her to sign, the complaint alleged.

Goswami, who was seen being pushed into the police van, claimed before being taken away that he was assaulted by police inside the house.