The sensational arrest of a right-wing TV news anchor for allegedly abetting suicide has stirred controversy in India's media, which has faced censorship and crises of credibility in recent years.
Arnab Goswami, editor-in-chief of Republic TV and a vociferous supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was arrested in Mumbai on Wednesday over the 2018 death of an interior designer, Avnay Naik.
Naik left a suicide note claiming that the TV journalist and two others owed him more than 54 million rupees ($730,000).
Naik designed the studios of Republic TV in 2018 after Goswami, 47, founded the channel with the financial backing of a leader from Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.
The Bombay High Court on Monday rejected Goswami's plea for interim bail – temporary release until his bail application could be heard by a lower court. It also directed the sessions court where he filed his bail application to issue a decision within four days.
The TV anchor's early morning arrest from his plush home in Mumbai set off a storm in the country’s political and media circles.
Goswami's supporters and opponents are accusing each other of undermining India’s press freedom and democracy.
He has denied the charges and accused the Maharashtra government of a political vendetta.
Goswami also accused police of assaulting him and his family members during his arrest and remains in jail awaiting a bail hearing.
Maharashtra is ruled by an alliance of Mr Modi’s political opponents, including India's main opposition Congress party.
The coalition has in recent months became the target of the host’s tabloid-style TV coverage, particularly over the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June.
Top Modi ministers condemned Goswami's arrest and asserted that the state government's action reeked of “fascism” and amounted to “muzzling press freedom and democracy”.
India’s Interior Minister, Amit Shah, Mr Modi’s close aide, said the Congress and its allies "shamed democracy” with Goswami's arrest.
“Blatant misuse of state power against Republic TV and Arnab Goswami is an attack on individual freedom and the fourth pillar of democracy,” Mr Shah tweeted.
Several hashtags trended on Twitter over the weekend in support of the anchor and BJP supporters staged protests in several cities.
But many accused BJP of hypocrisy, saying the ruling party targeted journalists and muzzled the press.
India slipped to 142 in the 2020 Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders, down two places from last year.
About 50 journalists have been arrested or charged with serious offences, including terrorism, during the coronavirus pandemic, most of them in BJP-ruled states.
Often referred as the “Tucker Carlson of India”, Goswami is known for his aggressive nightly TV debates, where he routinely shouts down political and ideological opponents of Mr Modi.
He has been accused of disregarding reporting ethics and encouraging Fox-style journalism supporting the prime minister’s Hindu right-wing party and its policies.
His critics say Goswami was single-handedly destroying journalism in India.
In recent months he sharpened his attacks on the Maharashtra government during debates, including personal jibes against the State Chief Minister, Uddhav Thackeray.
Goswami's programmes have been highly critical of the state government and Mumbai police, especially over the handling of investigation into the death of Rajput.
It became an election issue in the the Bollywood actor's home state of Bihar where a BJP political alliance is fighting to retain power.
The anchor accused the Mumbai police of bungling the investigation and allegedly shielding a Bollywood-linked drug mafia.
Goswami's channel also ran a campaign against a Muslim missionary group and blamed them for spreading coronavirus.
The it hosted a series of debates on “inefficient” Mumbai police, which led to charges of defamation against the editor and his editorial team last month.
Goswami and his channel were also recently charged with bribing a TV ratings company to rig audience figures to win benefits from advertisers.
"Undoubtedly he has been provocative," Mohan Guruswamy, a leading Indian columnist, told The National.
But Guruswamy dismissed the portrayal of Goswami's arrest as an attack on media, saying he was accused of not paying a businessman who then committed suicide.
"It has nothing to do with press freedom,” he said.
If you go
Flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.
The stay
Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.
Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
Wenger's Arsenal reign in numbers
1,228 - games at the helm, ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
704 - wins to date as Arsenal manager.
3 - Premier League title wins, the last during an unbeaten Invincibles campaign of 2003/04.
1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
473 - Premier League victories.
7 - FA Cup triumphs, with three of those having come the last four seasons.
151 - Premier League losses.
21 - full seasons in charge.
49 - games unbeaten in the Premier League from May 2003 to October 2004.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
