The 33rd President of the US, Hary S Truman, had once stated that ‘information pertaining to national security generally does not remain available for many years or even generations’, which signifies compartmentalization and sealing of information. But, that does not seem to be the case always.
It is a relatively old tale, or more precisely an open & uncomfortably accepted secret, that all is not well with the Indian media, which was also highlighted by MP Mohua Moitra in the parliament. The extent of the collaboration and complicity between some of the TV channels and the Government is now getting unraveled. If anyone claims not to know this, then he/she might be leaving under the rocks or with his/her head buried in sands. The recent discovery of the availability of military grade classified information with a Media-person (the disclosed chats of Arnab)is unscrambling the connivance between the concerned parties.
The WhatsApp chats of the Republic TV editor in chief and owner Arnab Goswami, released by Mumbai police as part of its charge sheet in the TRP scam shows a dark side of the Goswami-story. It also raises several questions about the changing nature and character of Indian media.
Like several other TV anchors Arnab Goswami had indeed developed a larger-than-life persona, blurring the lines between anchors, journalists, politicians, and demagogues. As if by a preordained pre-destined reality, he appropriated for himself the role of the nation’s conscience-keeper with a divine right to question anyone and everyone. He began creating an alternate reality where his political patrons were no less than prophetic saviours with no blemishes, and were sent to save India from enemies both foreign and domestic. His on-TV-screen war cry ‘The Nation Wants to Know’ was enormously successful in building his image, if not his credibility, of a national whistleblower.
Arnab & his channel, blessed by the ruling dispensation, wore nationalism on the sleeves and seemed to have outshone more established and older channels in the business. People believed that his channels were indeed drawing a larger share of the audience, which later on, was discovered to be due to an elaborate scheme designed by the channel to artificially boost the TRPs.
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In early 2019, when the nation was mourning the Pulwama attack carried out by JeM, which claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel and injured 35 others, Arnab Goswami was preparing the pitch to improve the TRP ratings of his Republic TV as revealed in his chat details. In leaked details of WhatsApp chat between Goswami and the CEO of Broadcasting Audience Research Council, Partho Dasgupta, it had been revealed that the Republic TV anchor had stated, “this attack (Pulwama) we have won like crazy”. It shows that the attack was found useful by Goswami as it was providing his channel a unique chance to boost the TRPs. In further chat stream, it was also revealed that Goswami knew that the attack would help Modi to carry out such action which would “elate people”, that too, right before the election season of Lok Sabha polls entered the nation. It is an openly known fact that the government, in the run-up to the LS polls of 2019, had sought votes in the name of soldiers.
In the WhatsApp conversations, names like Rajat Sharma, Prakash Javedkar, and Navika also popped up. The chats also showed that Arnab had access to information about the developments inside the PMO with regard to officials like Nripendra Mishra. The chats also showed a request by Dasgupta to Goswami to remove the regulators off the back of BARC, and also showed that Goswami was privy to sensitive information regarding the Balakot airstrike three days before it happened. This amounts to a violation of Official Secrets Act. Despite the damning WhatsApp chats on security and TRP manipulation Arnab Goswami continues to roam free, but it remains to be seen if his patrons & protectors in the GOI will continue to shield him.
In a recent development, on February 03, a Mumbai Police deputy commissioner (DCP) had filed a complaint. In the complaint, the DCP had alleged defamation against Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami, wife Samyabrata Ray Goswami and media company ARG Outlier Media Private Limited, which runs Republic Media Network, for their coverage on the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput last year.
The complaint filed before the Mumbai city civil and sessions court by Abhishek Trimukhe, an IPS officer serving as the DCP (Zone IX), stated that a panel discussion on the channel Republic Bharat had referred to phone records showing contact between actor and Rajput’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and Trimukhe, which was “malicious” and done to harm his reputation.
The complaint was filed through the chief public prosecutor Jaising Desai after sanction was received from the state home department last October. It sought that the court takes cognizance of the offences under Section 499 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code and a warrant be issued against those named in the complaint.
The plea said that the DCP had received numerous calls from various persons asking him to explain the veracity of the allegations, causing him to lose his reputation and goodwill of over a decade’s work in the police force. It also sought that the DCP be paid compensation and the cost of litigation. The plea stated, “The said defamatory publications have also caused deep distress to his colleagues, juniors and family members.”
It added that three respondents named in the complaint “have chosen to profit from the situation by sensationalizing and scandalizing the same”. The complaint stated that the contents of such publications also led to or are creating “unjustified rumours”. The complaint also added that the publications were also willful neglect of a known obligation of the code of ethics and broadcasting standards issued by the News Broadcasters Association. It also referred to the posts on Twitter claiming that defamatory posts were made through a handle “@arnab5222”.
Also See: More trouble for Arnab Goswami
A few days back, the Congress unit in Maharashtra has demanded the arrest of Republic TV’s editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami by registering cases for sedition for the leak of sensitive information related to national security through WhatsApp chat. The party has also demanded that cases be registered against him in all police stations across the city under section 5 of the Official Secrets Act and National Security Act.
INC general secretary Sachin Sawant and Mumbai Mahila Congress chief Ajanta Yadav has handed over a letter to Samta Nagar police station demanding a case against Goswami. The letter stated, “It is very important to investigate the source of the information which was related to national security. The act of the leak of such information is an act of treason and serious cognizance needs to be taken.”
Sawant said that it needs to be investigated as to who gave Goswami the information related to Balakot airstrike.
Bhai Jagtap, Mumbai Congress chief and working president Charan Singh Sapra have also met Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh and demanded cases against the journalist in all police stations. Congress has submitted their complaints in 94 police stations across the city.
Jagtap said, “There was financial deal between Arnab Goswami and Broadcast Audience Research Council’s former CEO Partho Dasgupta, who has admitted to such transactions. The leak of the information is a serious breach of national secrets. Goswami should be booked immediately under National Security Act, 1980 and Official Secrets Act, 1923. We have been assured by the police commissioner that appropriate action will be taken.”
In 2020, Arnab had also whipped up the issue of Rhea using the pretext of SSR suicide at the time the nation was under lockdown and facing the Covid situation head-on, by bringing in the aspects of her personal life over the TV screen. Last year a PIL was moved in the Delhi High Court alleging that Arnab Goswami and his channel were reporting “distorted and misleading facts” on the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput resulting in the infringement of the right to a fair trial of Rhea Chakraborty.
The plea had sought directions to the Centre to frame rules, regulations, or guidelines to govern reporting or broadcasting of all news related to criminal investigations. The petition had alleged that the journalist and the TV channel were on a “witch hunt” against Rajput’s friend Chakraborty and were behaving as “judge, jury, and executioner” to sway the public opinion against her.
Regarding the prior knowledge of Goswami about the Balakot airstrike, Maharashtra government stated that it is consulting legal experts for action against Arnab Goswami under Official Secrets Act.
In a presser, Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh had referred to the purported chats between Goswami and ex-BARC head Partho Dasgupta, which mentioned that Goswami was privy to the planning of the 2019 surgical strike. The issue is being taken seriously as it pertains to National security.
The propaganda machinery of the current regime is in many aspects working like that of the Third Reich in Nazi Germany. It involves the glorification of central figures through various means. It also includes control of the various means of media. The disclosures in Arnab’s case point to that similarity, apart from the fact that the channel has been functioning as the mouthpiece for the government. But, the catch is that, in the case of India, there are aspects of federalism in the polity which is countering the transformation of the country into a single-party state with the GOI being the single source of information. The investigation and the chargesheet filed by Mumbai police might not have been able to detain Arnab, even after the disclosures, but has surely dented the information nexus and has put the centre, already neck-deep in the farmers’ movement on a backfoot.
It seems that Karma is giving it back to Arnab, albeit slowly, in the language he understands best.
