A House Divided

Thursday November 5 2020

The arrest of Arnab Goswami

In yet another sign of the strange times we live in, the Republic TV anchor has been arrested and is now in judicial custody. But the reason has nothing to do with his awful brand of journalism.

In 2018, interior designer Anvay Naik and his mother Kumud died by suicide.
In his suicide note, Naik named three people who he held responsible for his death: Arnab Goswami, Feroz Shaikh and Niteish Sarda.
Naik alleged that the companies run by the three men had simply refused to pay him for his work: Republic TV (Rs 83 lakh), IcastX/Skimedia (Rs 4 crore) and Smartworks (Rs 55 lakh). As a result, Naik became bankrupt and died of suicide—as did his mother who was a director in his company.
But Goswami denied all charges, and the case was closed in April 2019 due to lack of evidence.
In May, Naik’s daughter Adnya asked Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh to reopen the case—and found a friendly audience. The police stormed into Goswami’s residence and arrested him yesterday morning.
Now, all three accused in the case have been arrested and been sent to judicial custody for 14 days.
Republic TV put out a statement which quotes Goswami as saying, “They hit me. They physically assaulted me.”
But the claim was rejected by the court after he was examined by a civil surgeon. The court claimed there were only minor scratches on the accused’s hand.
The police also issued a new FIR against Goswami, his wife and son, and two staff members for assaulting a police official.
Republic TV is calling his arrest a “part of a larger vindictive exercise against an independent journalist and an independent news organisation.”
The Editor’s Guild has condemned his arrest—as have prominent cabinet ministers including Amit Shah and Smriti Irani.
Naik’s daughter says: “We don’t want to get into politics.… What we want is justice for my deceased father.”
Indian Express has the most on the case. The Telegraph has more details on his arrest. Also see: Republic TV’s footage of his arrest.

A #SaveMollem protest in Goa

Environmentalists and local residents have banded together to oppose plans to hack down forests in Mollem National Park and Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary. Our subscriber Niyati Bharne wrote in with an excellent explainer on why Mollem matters:

The background: In the middle of the lock-down, the National Board for Wildlife considered 30 proposals to cut down forests in Goa. Of these, two projects in Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary and Mollem National Park were approved by the National Board for Wildlife.

The big plan: is to create infrastructure for a coal transportation corridor cutting across several states. This corridor will run from Mormugao Port Trust across Goa and into industrial hubs in Dharwad, Hubli, Hospet and Bellary in Karnataka.

The projects: The forests are being cleared for the following:

A four-lane highway expansion. Total forest land required: 63.615 hectares. Total number of trees to be felled: 20,340—including 12,097 in a protected area. Cost: Rs 17.94 billion.
Double tracking the railway line. Total forest land required: 138.37 hectares. Trees to be felled: 22,882—including 20,758 in the protected area. Cost: Rs 5.04 billion
Laying a 400 kilovolt transmission line. Total forest land required: 48.3 hectares. Trees to be felled: 15,772—including 4,139 trees in the protected area. Cost: Rs 1.76 billion

Point to note: The projects are in violation of two important sections of The Wildlife Act that stipulate there can be no construction in any wildlife sanctuary/national park unless it is for the improvement and better management of the wildlife itself.

Why Mollem matters: These forests are part of the Western Ghats—which is one of the 36 global biodiversity hotspots and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Mollem National Park and Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary are also home to hundreds of endangered wildlife species—and supply water to Goa’s primary source of drinking water, River Mandovi.

The protests: On Sunday night, over 3000-plus protestors gathered on the railway lines at Chandor in South Goa to block trains carrying coal. Under the banner Goyant Kollso Naka (We don’t want coal in Goa), they held an all-night vigil. They claim:

“Despite numerous requests from all sections of the society and the overwhelming decision of Goans to stop coal transportation through Goa, the government is arrogantly continuing to work for the profits of Adani, Jindal and Vedanta, ignoring the reasoned and irrefutable arguments of the people of Goa."

Learn more: This documentary has more on this artist-led movement. Here’s an excellent thread for anyone who wants to understand why coal has become a flashpoint in Goa since 2017. Times of India explains how Mollem, a biodiversity paradise is fighting for survival. Also see: the website for the Mollem protests and more resources here.

The great pandemic: A quick update

A new study found T cells—which help fight the virus—remain in patients who have mild or moderate symptoms for up to six months.
A related study found that even those who quickly recover from an infection produce protective antibodies for several months.
The results of the late stage trials of the Oxford vaccine will be revealed in December. Serum Institute CEO Adar Poonawalla says that a vaccine will be rolled out by January 2021—if it receives timely regulatory approval.
A serological survey of Karnataka shows that 27.3% of its population have been exposed to the virus. That number is 30% in Bangalore.

Defence ministry plans to cut pensions

The government proposes increasing the retirement age of Colonels from 54 to 57, Brigadiers from 56 to 58 and Major Generals from 58 to 59. But it will also decrease the pension for officers opting for early retirement. Military personnel are not happy. The reason: “It will undermine the measures taken over the years to keep the armed forces ‘young and fighting fit.’ It will also be a ‘strong disincentive’ for superseded officers to seek a second career in the ‘civvy street.’” (Times of India)

A big Starbucks scam

The coffee chain has been found guilty of not passing on the reduction in the GST rate to its customers:

“Tata Starbucks, a 50:50 joint venture between the Tatas and the global coffee chain, had hiked the base price of a specific coffee product after the GST Council cut tax rates on restaurant services from 18% to 5% with effect from November 15, 2017. This kept the retail sale price of the product (pre- and post-GST rate reduction) the same.”

The resulting profit: Rs 1.05 crore which now has to be deposited in a consumer welfare fund—along with 18% in interest. (Business Standard)