Arnab Goswami had conspired with BARC CEO to illegally tamper with TRPs: Police

News Network
June 23, 2021

Mumbai, June 23: Senior television journalist Arnab Goswami illegally tampered with the TRPs in connivance of the then CEO of the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) Partho Dasgupta to improve ratings of Republic TV channels and paid him for his help, as per the supplementary charge sheet filed by the Mumbai Police who cited Whatsapp chats between the duo as a "crucial evidence".

The Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the Mumbai Police on Tuesday filed a third charge sheet before a magistrate's court here in the alleged fake Television Ratings Points (TRP) scam. Besides Goswami, the Editor-in-Chief of Republic TV, and ARG Outlier Media that runs Republic TV channels, the police also named six other accused including some employees of Republic group channels in the latest charge sheet.

"We have found evidence to show they (Goswami and Dasgupta) had exchanged confidential information about the BARC repeatedly to benefit Goswami's channels," the charge sheet said. During the period between June 2017 and March 2018 when Dasgupta was working with the BARC, the TRP ratings of an English news channel were illegally manipulated so that they fall below the TRPs of Republic TV channels, which resulted in Rs 431 crore loss to that channel, police said, citing the statement of an executive of the news channel. 

Police further said they possess the evidence to show that Goswami had paid Dasgupta in return for the latter's assistance in manipulating the TRPs, "which was evident from the jewellery and expensive items seized from Dasgupta's residence", the charge sheet said. Dasgupta, who had been named as accused in the previous charge sheet, was arrested in December last year.

He is currently out on bail. The first charge sheet in the TRP rigging case, filed in November last year, had named Dasgupta and Republic TV CEO Vikash Khanchandani. The alleged fake TRP scam came to light in October last year when the rating agency Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) filed a complaint through Hansa Research Group (HRG), alleging that certain television channels were rigging TRP numbers.

The HRG had been tasked with installing barometers for recording channel viewership data at sample households. Police had arrested dozens of people, including the top officials of BARC and Republic TV.

Most of them are currently out on bail. In March this year, the Bombay High Court had asked the Mumbai police why Republic TV and Goswami had not been named as accused in the case if the investigators believed to possess adequate evidence against them.

The ARG Outlier Media and Goswami had approached the high court last year, filing a bunch of petitions seeking several reliefs in the alleged TRP scam. They had alleged that the whole case was malafide and they had been targeted for Republic TV's reportage in connection with the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput and the Palghar lynching case last year. 

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Ramesh Mishra
 - 
Friday, 25 Jun 2021

CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY, RAPE, MURDER, ATROCITIES, CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY, CONTRACT KILLING, INDIA
I am over 75 years old and I have studied, worked and travelled around the world for over fifty years. I frequently travel around the world and frequently visit my native village in UP. Indian leaders due to the lack of knowledge and the proper education, training, moral have made India a regime of terror. The politicians and the executives have made India a horrible place to live where no one and no one's property is safe, In UP the contract killers are available for the Rs. 5000.00. My younger brother, his family and my late fathers extended family by the gun violence possessed my properties, criminally conspired with four IAS and four PCS and contracted my murder to legalize the looting of my properties through a relative employed as Lekhpal in the Tehsil where my property is located. I prayed to Modi, PM, Yogi CM UP and Who's Who of India for my protection and for the protection of my properties, everyone ignored my prayers. Indian leaders lack leadership, courage, education and moral to make India a safe country. Hindu religion is used to hoodwink the people of India and people around the world. The world due to highway information technology has collected ample irrefutable evidence to declare India unsafe and the future of India is irreparably ruined by unethical leaders and elites. New India is similar to Germany from 1933 to 1945, under the late Adolf Hitler. The politicians and executives are abusing the legal process to persecute the political opposition parties, their enemies and whoever they dislike. The Honourable High Courts and the Supreme Court of India are the only ones with the wisdom to put India on the solid path.
Ramesh Mishra
Victoria, British Columbia, CANADA

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News Network
November 10,2024

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Mangaluru: A heart-wrenching tragedy unfolded in the quiet Bellayuru village on the outskirts of Mangaluru as a man’s life ended on a railway track following an apparent double murder. Authorities from the Mulki police station identified the man as Karthik Bhat, 32, whose lifeless body was discovered on the tracks with his head positioned on the rail, indicating a tragic suicide.

Nearby, police recovered keys to a scooter and a house, which eventually led them to uncover a series of chilling events. Following the trail, officers located Bhat’s scooter parked near Mahammayi Temple. Inside the vehicle, they found documents confirming his identity, including an RC, insurance papers, and his driving license.

Their search continued to Bhat's home in Pakshikere, Kemral village, where they discovered a locked room. With the keys retrieved from the tracks, police unlocked the door, only to be confronted by a horrifying sight. The bodies of Priyanka (28) and her young son Hriday (4) lay in a pool of blood, pointing to a brutal murder that occurred just hours before Bhat’s suicide.

Initial investigations suggest Bhat, beleaguered by ongoing family disputes, committed the murders of his wife and son on the evening of November 8 before tragically ending his own life. A death note found in his diary hinted at his mental state and tragic intentions.

Priyanka’s family, residing in Shivamogga, was informed of the incident. The couple, married for six years, now leaves behind grieving relatives and unanswered questions. Police have initiated formal proceedings, collecting statements from family members as they continue their investigation into the tragic sequence of events.

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News Network
November 3,2024

Mangaluru, Nov 3: A quiet morning turned perilous for a farmer in Elathur, near Kinnigoli on the outskirts of the city, as a leopard attacked him while he was cutting grass. 

Ligori, a resident of Kalkare, was startled by the sudden assault and suffered injuries to his face but managed to escape and reach safety. He was promptly taken to the hospital for medical care.

Residents in Elathur have been on edge for over a week following reports of leopard sightings in the area. Today’s incident has heightened concerns among the local farming community, who now fear for their safety.

With a significant population of farmers in the region, villagers are demanding immediate action from the forest department to capture the leopard and ensure their safety. 

The community awaits a response, hoping for swift intervention to prevent further attacks.

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News Network
November 11,2024

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The Manipur Kuki MLAs have released a statement calling out Solicitor General Tushar Mehta's 'lies' in the Supreme Court. In a joint statement, the MLAs, including those from the Bharatiya Janata Party, said they had not had any meeting with the Chief Minister since May 3, 2023, nor did they intend to meet him in the future as “he was the mastermind behind the violence”.

As per the MLAs, the SG lied about state CM N Biren Singh speaking to Kuki MLAs to control the situation there, in order to halt a Supreme Court probe into the leaked tapes which allege that Singh has been complicit in the violence that broke out between Kukis and Meitis there.

"We...clarify that we have never had any meeting with Chief Minister, Shri N. Biren Singh since May 3, 2023, nor have any intention to meet him in future as he is the mastermind behind the violence and ethnic cleansing of our people from the Imphal valley, which is continuing till today, the latest being the brutal killing and burning of Mrs Zosangkim Hmar on November 7, 2024," the letter read, while condemning the recent 'barbaric' killing of the woman there, and noting the SG's assertion is 'tantamount' to misleading the top court.

“We, the undersigned ten MLAs, have come to know that during the Supreme Court hearing held on November 8, 2024, the Solicitor General of India submitted that ‘CM is meeting all Kuki MLAs and trying to bring the situation down to get peace’. In this connection, we hereby categorically state that this submission is a blatant lie and tantamount to misleading the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India,” the statement said.

The Supreme Court, while hearing a petition by a Kuki organisation, asked that it submit audio tapes to substantiate its claim that the Chief Minister was instrumental in inciting and organising violence in the northeastern State.

Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta orally informed the court that the Chief Minister was meeting all the Kuki-Zo MLAs and that peace in the State had come at a huge cost.

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