Ejaz Kaiser By

Express News Service

RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh police on Wednesday registered an FIR against the Republic TV chief Arnab Goswami for allegedly vitiating an environment of harmony by provocative remarks on the basis of community and creating animosity among them (different communities) through his statements on the TV debate.

Chhattisgarh health minister TS Singhdeo and PCC chief Mohan Markam lodged separate police complaints against Goswami at civil lines police station in Raipur on Wednesday holding him accountable “for spreading rumours, playing communal canards in the context of Palghar mob-lynching case”.

The police had registered the case under various IPC Sections of 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), 295 A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings) and 502 (2) (making statements that create enmity and hatred between different classes).

The Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh had also lodged police complaints in various districts seeking the arrest of Goswami. The leaders came down heavily against Republic TV editor-in-chief for allegedly propagating hate-mongering rumours and attempting to defame Congress president Sonia Gandhi during one of the debates.

“The false and spiteful remarks by Arnab Goswami can’t be cited as journalism. He is into spreading the same hate-mongering and baseless rumours that the trained cadres of the RSS are doing on the social media platforms”, stated Shailesh Nitin Trivedi, the Chairman of Congress Media Cell.

The Congress leaders have been demanding his arrest.