The name Partho Dasgupta who is now in the custody of Mumbai police on 17 December is again all over the news on Friday. The leaked WhatsApp chats between the former CEO of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India and Arnab Goswami are trending on social media.
In the line of the reports around the chats retrieved from the now arrested Partho’s mobile, Arnab and the officials of his channels Republic TV (English) and Republic Bharat (Hindi). carried out transactions with a few influential people at BARC and PMO to ensure that more viewers watch their channels.
A 500-page WhatsApp chat released by the Mumbai police has Arnab claiming that he has received constant favours from PMO officials. The chats also have Partho sharing a confidential BARC letter with Arnab saying that he has jammed NBA. He further asked Arnab for favours from PMO which was later assured by the latter.
Mumbai police investigation also cited emails found in Partho’s work account which discussed how the BARC data is aiding Republic channels through TRP manipulation. Supporters of opposition parties and independent journalists have taken to social media to share screenshots of the alleged WhatsApp conversation.
It can be noted that the chats were leaked on a day the Bombay High Court adjourned the hearing in the TRP Scam case till 29 January. The Mumbai Police, on the other hand, said that they will not arrest Goswami until the next hearing.
