Arnab paid 40 lakhs to fix ratings: former BARC head
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Reports have emerged suggesting that Partho Dasgupta, former head of the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), has confessed to being bribed to fix Television Point Ratings for Republic TV over a period of three years.
In his handwritten note, Dasgupta has alleged that he received up to $12,000 to spend on vacations abroad as well as over 40 lakhs from Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami. The revelations come after a series of leaks exposed chat transcripts that purportedly show Goswami and Dasgupta's dealings in the TRP scam case in which several channels have been accused of manipulating TRP ratings.
During his arrest in December, Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze of the Mumbai Police was quoted as saying that they had seized a wrist watch and silver ornaments worth ₹2.22 lakh with money that had been provided to him by Goswami.
"They met at a five-star hotel in 2017. Goswami had given him the US $6,000 for a holiday trip to Sweden and Denmark," Vaze said.
A supplementary charge sheet has been filed by the Mumbai Police in the case and includes witness testimony from 59 persons and mentions Dasgupta, Goswami and Republic TV CEO Vikas Khanchandani.