Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh on Friday appeared to take a veiled dig at Republic TV founder Arnab Goswami for running a propaganda on the Sushant Singh Rajput death case. Speaking to reporters at the Mumbai Police headquarters, Singh said that some ‘vested interests’ made desperate attempts to target his force and defame them. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray too appeared to take a dig at Goswami by saying that his government had given ‘befitting replies’ to those who tried to defame the Mumbai Police.
“Supreme Court had found that our investigation was very professional. Am sure even CBI will reach a professional conclusion which will be similar to what we concluded. But some vested interests tried to demotivate us,” Singh was quoted by Indian Today as saying.
The Mumbai Police Commissioner was speaking after a programme, which was also attended by Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and his son Aditya Thackeray. Cops were honoured with awards for their exemplary work.
Singh also said that more arrests will be made in the ongoing TRP scam adding that the arrest of former BARC CEO Partho Dasgupta was a very significant development in the case. “We are also investigating a money trail,” he said.
The Mumbai Police had told a court in Mumbai that Arnab Goswami paid in ‘lakhs’ to Dasgupta and other senior executives of the rating agency to rig TRPs in favour of his channels, Republic English and Republic Bharat.”
AT least two senior executives of Republic Media including CEO Vikas Khanchandani were arrested in the TRP scam case. Goswami himself was arrested in a separate case of the abetment to suicide. He had to spend at least a week in a Navi Mumbai jail until the Supreme Court made an extraordinary intervention to order his release.
Speaking on the occasion, CM Thackeray too slammed those, who attempted to defame the Mumbai Police. “I am proud that with the start of New Year I am speaking for the first time today, for my brave police force. Those who tried to defame us, we have given them befitting replies,” he was quoted as saying.