Why’s Govt Silent on Arnab’s Leaked Chats? Nation Wants to Know

Goswami’s purported chats indicate he had prior info on the Balakot airstrike. Why is the government silent?

Why is government silent on Arnab’s leaked chats?

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Video Editor: Ashutosh Bhardwaj

Alleged WhatsApp chats between Republic TV owner Arnab Goswami and former Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) head Partho Dasgupta are now out in the open and part of the charge sheet filed by the Mumbai Police that is investigating the matter.

The chats not only reveal conversations about manipulation of TRP ratings but also show leakage of prior information on the Balakot strikes, in the aftermath of the 2019 Pulwama attack.

These alleged WhatsApp chats have put the anchor who is known to shout in his TV studio, in a soup.

The Mumbai Police charge sheet includes hundreds of pages of WhatsApp chats between Goswami and Dasgupta. They mention the attitude of a top government official and offensive statements about a senior political leader.

HOW DID ARNAB HAVE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE BALAKOT AIRSTRIKE?

In the alleged chats, Arnab claimed that he had information about the Balakot strike – that the government was planning something big against Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack, three days in advance. It is a leak of crucial data on national security and a breach of Official Secrets Act. Here's why it's a very serious matter:

“Only five members of the cabinet committee on security and one or two top government officials have advance knowledge about such covert army operations. The Army has the final say in the details of the operation. Every leak has two sides – if Arnab received the information, who leaked it to him? Only a top minister or a top government official could have done that.”

Prithviraj Chavan in an exclusive chat with The Quint

WHY IS THE GOVERNMENT SILENT ON THE ISSUE?

So, who leaked this information to Arnab? The success of the mission depended upon the confidentiality of the information. If our enemies somehow got to know about the operation, our soldiers would have been under threat.

So, if these chats are authentic, this is a matter of breach of national security. But that will be discovered in the due process of investigation.

The Opposition has demanded a thorough probe by a joint parliamentary committee. People are demanding Arnab's arrest, but no one from the government is ready to say a word on the matter.

Our 'nationalist' government – that slaps UAPA charges on students, that sends NIA summons to farmers – if they are silent on this matter of national security, people are bound to ask: Janab, Aise Kaise?