News Analysis India

Tag: Balakot Airstrike

  • Can Arnab be arrested under Official Secrets Act? Uddhav govt seeking legal opinion

    By Express News Service
    MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government has decided to seek legal opinion whether Republic TV owner and editor-in-chief can be charged under Official Secrets Act for his revelations about the Balakot airstrike three days in advance through his purported WhatsApp chat with BARC former-CEO Partho Dasgupta.

    Maharashtra Home minister Anil Deshmukh said they have taken a serious note of Arnab Goswami’s WhatsApp chat on the classified military information. “We have decided to seek the legal and senior officials’ opinion whether Arnab Goswami can be charged and arrested under the Official Secrets Act for sharing the classified military information.

    “We cannot comprise our security services. We have to find out with whom he had shared this information three days before the Balakot airstrike by the Indian Air force. Besides, we need to find out who had provided this crucial information and whether this information was limited to Arnab and Partho Dasgupta,” Deshmukh said.

    Deshmukh further said that the Mumbai Police is probing the TRP scam and as a part of that this the WhatsApp chat between Arnab Goswami and Partho Dasgupta came out. “We will do whatever is possible as a state government in this case. The security of the state and nation is of utmost importance for us,” Deshmukh added.

    Earlier in the day, the Maharashtra Congress delegation met the Home minister Anil Deshmukh demanding the arrest of Arnab Goswami. Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said that the WhatsApp chat between Goswami and Dasgupta has brought out some serious revelations. 

    “Arnab Goswami was aware of the Balakot airstrike three days before the incident. The conversation between Goswami and Dasgupta is being discussed in the mainstream and social media. Questions are raised about how Goswami got this highly confidential and sensitive information. This amounts to treason and Goswami should be arrested immediately,” demanded Sachin Sawant.

    The Congress leader further said that Arnab Goswami himself admitted that the source of his information was “a big person in the Modi government”. 

  • Arnab’s WhatsApp chat shows leak of classified information, requires Parliamentary Committee probe, says NCP

    Express News Service
    MUMBAI: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) demanded the forming of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe the purported WhatsApp chats of Republic TV Editor Arnab Goswami and BARC former CEO Partho Dasgupta where Arnab claimed to have the Balakot airstrike information three days in advance of the incident.

    Mumbai police have submitted the over 3000 pages charge-sheet and the purported WhatsApp chat that runs over 500 pages are part of this additional charge-sheet of TRP scam. In the WhatsApp chat, it was revealed that Arnab had information of Balakot airstrike three days in advance of the actual strike incident.

    ALSO READ: No coercive action against Arnab Goswami till January 29 in TRP case, says Mumbai Police

    Nawab Malik, NCP minister and a spokesperson said that Arnab Goswami has got the classified military information and he has subsequently shared with BARC former CEO Partho Dasgupta. “This is a very serious matter and concerned with national security. We will take up this matter to parliament and demand the setting up the JPC. We need to probe whether this classified information of Balakot airstrike by Indian Air Force is only shared with Dasgupta or anyone else who is spies and enemy of India. Besides, who is the person in government who shared this confidential information with Arnab Goswami,” Malik said.

    Malik further said that Goswami has committed a very serious crime that is against the interest of the nation. The Congress also demanded the probe in this incident.

    ALSO READ: WhatsApp delays new privacy policy by three months amid severe criticism

    Maharashtra Congress leader and former CM Prithviraj Chavan tweeted that the Government of India must launch a thorough probe. “Also the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence must take this matter with utmost priority. #ArnabGate. The voluminous transcript of Mr Goswami’s chats released by Mumbai Police is deeply disturbing. Who gave access to such sensitive information from national security to constitutional amendments and political appointments? #ArnabGate,” said Chavan.

    Meanwhile, the Maharashtra BJP distanced from the leaked In the WhatsApp chat. Chandrakant Patil said that the BJP and its leaders have nothing to do with the leaked what’s app chat of the Arnab Goswami.

    “Someone is saying or claiming something that does not mean it is true. And, we should not also believe it also,” Patil said.