The Enforcement Directorate on Friday detained Bahubali Shah, one of the owners of the leading Gujarati newspaper ‘Gujarat Samachar’, following a raid on their premises here, sources said.
Bahubali Shah is one of the directors of Lok Prakashan Limited, which owns the Gujarat Samachar. His elder brother, Shreyansh Shah, is the managing editor of the daily.
Bahubali was detained by the ED following a raid on their premises.
Tushar Dave, head of digital services at GSTV, a Gujarati news channel run by Shreyansh Shah, said the ED detained Bahubali Shah in the early hours of Friday.
In a Facebook post, Dave said Shah was first taken to VS Hospital by the ED and then admitted to Zydus Hospital in the city after his health condition deteriorated.
The federal anti-money laundering agency has not yet issued any statement about the reasons behind its action.
A Gujarat Samachar employee said the ED detained Shah early on Friday, and he is in the hospital.
The Income Tax department searched the GSTV premises in Ahmedabad for nearly 36 hours. The ED raided the premises on Thursday evening.
Gujarat MLA and Congress state working president Jignesh Mevani slammed the ED, saying Gujarat Samachar and its owners are being targeted because, for the last 25 years, the newspaper has been publishing reports critical of the central government.
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The Congress flayed the ED action against the founder, saying anyone raising their voice against the government or not compromising with the BJP will have to go to jail.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi commented on the arrest and alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party wants to silence voices of dissent.
“The attempt to silence Gujarat Samachar is not just about one newspaper, but another conspiracy to suppress the voice of the entire democracy. When locks are placed on newspapers that hold a mirror to power, understand that democracy is in danger. The arrest of Bahubali Shah is part of the same politics of fear that has now become the hallmark of the Modi government. The country will not run on batons, nor on fear—India will run on truth and the Constitution," Rahul Gandhi posted on X.
In a post on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the government is putting pressure on independent media which is fatal for democracy.
Citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent interview in which he had said, 'Criticism is the soul of Democracy', Kharge said by getting the founder of Gujarat Samachar arrested by ED, "Modi ji has proved that arresting critics is the first sign of a scared dictator".
"Whoever raises voice against this government, and who does not compromise with BJP, will have to go to jail. The government putting pressure on independent media and using it to its own advantage is fatal for democracy," Kharge charged.
Congress' head of media department Pawan Khera said, "Late last night the ED arrested Bahubali Bhai Shah of Gujarat Samachar. The 93-year-old newspaper has been a bold anti establishment voice. This is the fate of those who have the guts to openly say that The emperor is naked."
Criticising the government's action, Gujarat Congress chief Shaktisinh Gohil charged, "In the Modi government, severe punishment is given for writing and speaking the truth — the latest case is from Gujarat." He said ED raids were conducted on Gujarat Samachar and GSTV.
"Bahubalibhai Shah, 73-year-old director of 'Gujarat Samachar' has been arrested. His only crime was that he was continuously asking questions to the government and fixing their responsibility. But...The BJP government is not used to answers and accountability, so by sending ED, they trampled the rights of the fourth pillar of democracy," he said.
Before this, the X handle of 'Gujarat Samachar' was also blocked in India, Gohil said.
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