Owner of ‘Gujarat Samachar’ arrested by ED

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday arrested Bahubali Shah, the co-owner of Gujarat's largest daily Gujarat Samachar, in connection with a money laundering case. Shah, who is associated with more than 15 business entities, was taken into custody following raids at multiple locations linked to him.

Shah is one of the directors of Lok Prakashan Limited, which publishes the Gujarat Samachar newspaper and GSTV channel. His elder brother, Shreyansh Shah, is the managing editor of the newspaper.

Following his arrest, Shah was hospitalised after his health deteriorated. The federal anti-money laundering agency has yet to release an official statement detailing the reasons for the arrest.

Shah's arrest has sparked a major political storm, with the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) targeting the ruling BJP in Gujarat. Both parties have accused the BJP of misusing central agencies to intimidate and silence the media.

Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal described the arrest as the BJP’s attempt to force independent media to fall in line with the government. AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal also slammed the BJP over the arrest, calling it "a sign of the frustration" of the party, "which wants to silence every voice that speaks the truth and asks questions". Joining the debate, Congress leader Pawan Khera alleged that this is the fate of those who dare to speak the truth and call out the emperor’s new clothes.