The police in Mumbai on Sunday arrested the chief executive of a right-wing television news broadcaster on suspicion of manipulating ratings figures, escalating a clash that has roiled India’s voluble but increasingly partisan media scene. The police said they had arrested Vikas Khanchandani, the chief executive of ARG Outlier Media, at his home in Mumbai, India’s financial capital. The authorities, which had earlier questioned Mr. Khanchandani twice, said there was enough evidence to suggest that he had direct knowledge about manipulating the ratings figures. He has not been formally charged, but investigators said they arrested him after he refused to cooperate. ARG could not be reached for comment, but Republic TV leapt to his defense.

Source: New York Times December 13, 2020 14:00 UTC