The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested the co-owner of Gujarat Samachar after conducting raids at properties linked to the newspaper—one of the oldest and most widely circulated regional dailies—and the residences of its owners, according to a statement from his family on Friday.
Sources familiar with the matter said Bahubali Shah was arrested over suspected financial irregularities, although the ED has not yet officially disclosed the reason for the arrest. Meanwhile, the X (formerly Twitter) account of Gujarat Samachar, founded in 1932, was suspended on May 9 without explanation.
Gujarat Samachar editor-in-chief and managing director Shreyans Shah blamed political vendetta for his brother’s arrest late on Thursday. He said the ED summoned and arrested him without any prior written notice after raids lasting 36 hours.
Shreyans Shah said his brother has been unwell after suffering a severe heart attack. He accused authorities of pressuring Bahubali Shah to confess to “certain things”.
Shreyans Shah said the ED raids pertained to some transactions 20 years ago. “All these transactions were done through the bank. This is a civil matter, and we are ready to fight it in the courts. We do not have any criminal background. Why is my brother being treated like this?”
He said his brother, the director of Gujarat Samachar’s publisher, Lok Prakashan Ltd, and Gujarat Samachar Ltd, which operates GSTV, was being treated at a hospital.
On May 14, the Income Tax department conducted raids at multiple locations linked to Gujarat Samachar, including its headquarters. The residences of Bahubali Shah, Shreyans Shah, and the GSTV news channel office were also raided.
The ED carried out raids at 24 locations, including the homes of Shreyans Shah’s sons, Nirman and Amam Shah, as well as the office of the newspaper’s online department. Properties connected to the Shah family’s real estate businesses were also searched.
The opposition Congress has linked the arrest to Gujarat Samachar’s outspoken anti-establishment stance. “Late last [Thursday] 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 dare to say the emperor has no clothes,” Congress leader Pawan Khera wrote in a post on X.