Awaaz uthaiye – Not a time to stay silent anymore

“Awaaz uthaiye” – that is what Arnab Goswami kept repeating over and over again as the police van carrying him drove away. Those words continue to haunt me. I, as millions of Indians, got a rude jolt when Republic TV’s Editor-in-Chief was arrested from his residence yesterday morning in the most inhuman manner. Videos of his arrest kept playing across channels and on social media throughout the day, reminding me of the terrible and terrifying situation that he and his family faced.

Imagine having a posse of policemen banging at your door early in the morning and barging into your house to arrest you in an old case – without any court summons, any papers. Imagine being manhandled by the police. Imagine having an encounter cop at your place. Imagine your right to free speech being muzzled in the garb of police procedure.

Also read: Arnab Goswami arrest: Ensure state power is not misused for vendetta - NBA

In an annus horribilis that the year 2020 has been, nothing could have been scarier – not even the coronavirus. COVID-19 has no set agenda, it does not discriminate, it is not about vendetta.

In one sweep we were transported to the era of Emergency and media blackout. We were reminded of how easily there could be another P Jeyaraj-J Bennix case (the father-son duo who were killed due to alleged custodial torture in Tamil Nadu earlier this year).

I am a media owner too. Tomorrow, if I publish something that might ruffle the powers that be, will I be picked up too just to teach me a lesson? Will I have to scrutinise anything even remotely controversial – but factually true – and probably get it ratified by my legal team before publishing it?

I may or may not agree with Arnab’s style of news anchoring, my views might differ from his, but his right to present his views/ opinions in his own way, his right to freedom of speech, his right to critique something or someone – that is something that I stand by. This Freedom of Speech has been given to every citizen of India by our venerable Constitution.

Media is the fourth pillar of Democracy. It troubles me to see so many cracks in this pillar and assaults on this pillar. The way Arnab was picked up, it could happen to anyone. Is this acceptable? The nations’ eyes are on the media industry, and what have we to show them? We are still not united in our voice. He is one of the news media – competition notwithstanding. It’s not the time to talk about polarities.

Being an observer of the industry, Adgully’s stand has always been a balanced one, presenting a 360-degree view. But in the Arnab arrest case, time has come to take a stand. An attack on a media person is an attack on the fourth pillar of Democracy. It is not the time to stay silent and watch from the sidelines and let this pillar crumble due to our inaction.