Newsclick founder, HR arrested after Delhi Police raids in an Anti Terror case.
The Editors Guild of India tweeted on X, ”EGI is deeply concerned about the raids at the residences of senior journalists on the morning of October 3, and the subsequent detention of many of those journalists. Urges the state to follow due process, and not to make draconian criminal laws as tools for press intimidation”.
EGI is deeply concerned about the raids at the residences of senior journalists on the morning of October 3, and the subsequent detention of many of those journalists. Urges the state to follow due process, and not to make draconian criminal laws as tools for press intimidation pic.twitter.com/lHwOTi3XcS
— Editors Guild of India (@IndEditorsGuild) October 3, 2023
After a long day of searching, overrunning and detentions, Delhi Police arrested both the founder Prabir Purkayastha and the editor-in-chief Amit Chakravarthy for charges related to illegal activities under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. The founder of Newsclick was earlier asked to turn up at the Delhi Police special cell office regarding the case related to anti-terrorism in connection with the doorway which received funds for pro-China propaganda.
Delhi police have raided the houses of a few journalists involved with the news portal and captured several electronic devices, including laptops and mobile phones, as proof.
The case was filed on August 17 under UAPA which says a total of 46 persons were arrested from different locations.
Out of a total of 46 suspects, 37 are males who have been brought to the official premises for questioning and 9 females who have been questioned at their respective houses. As informed by Delhi Police, along with laptops and mobile phones, crucial documents have also been seized. According to reports, there are a total of 25 questions which have been posed to the journalists and are related to details regarding foreign travels, CAA protests and farmer agitation.
In order to locate the source of funding, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had also conducted raids earlier. Moreover, according to officials, the special cell branch is conducting searches on the basis of endowments extended by the central agency probe.
The main incident after which Newsclick was brought under the scanner was a report by the New York Times which claimed that the firm allegedly received money from the US billionaire Neville Roy Singham who is known for running campaigns that push pro-China propaganda. Moreover, Neville also shares a close relationship with Chinese government officials.
Delhi Union of Journalists said in a press release, “We believe that this is yet another attempt by the centre to muzzle the freedom of press. Such an action, raiding and intimidating almost all the employees in a media organisation, is unheard of. The Newsclick management has been maintaining that whatever funding they have received was through legal sources and the evidence for this has been submitted in the Delhi High Court.”
After the Delhi Police raids, CPI (M) leader Sitaraman Yechury issued a statement, “Strongly condemn the arrest of Newsclick editor Prabir Purkayastha under the draconian UAPA without framing any charges. Nearly 4 years ago no charges were framed even for the Bhima Koregaon UAPA detainees.”
Mr. Yechury further spoke in a press conference, “The raid was not targeting the CPI (M), saying the police were looking for the son of the party office staff who works at Newsclick as a graphics artist.” The above statement was issued by the CPI (M) leader after Delhi Police arrived at his office residence as part of the ongoing pursuit against entities and journalists who were linked to Newsclick.
Additionally, the Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan said on X, ”Condemn the efforts to stifle alternative media that highlight issues sidelined by mainstream media. Criticism of Delhi Police’s moves against Newsclick should be taken seriously. Silencing opposing voices is a fascist tendency. Gol should uphold the freedom of media to function independently, fearlessly and truthfully”
Condemn the efforts to stifle alternative media that highlight issues sidelined by mainstream media. Criticism of Delhi Police's moves against @newsclickin should be taken seriously. Silencing opposing voices is a fascist tendency. GoI should uphold the freedom of media to…
— Pinarayi Vijayan (@pinarayivijayan) October 4, 2023
“In August, the NYT ran a McCarthyite hit piece alleging Newsclick was part of a Chinese propaganda network. The NYT piece sparked a political and media scandal in India and today 50 of its writers were arrested by police. Solidarity with Newsclick against NYT’s McCarthyite smears!” said Radio Free Amanda on X. In a show of solidarity towards Newsclick and in support of press freedom in India, protestors have come together at Jantar Mantar and even in New York. As of October 4, protests have been taking place at Jantar Mantar with the slogan “Rise in Rage against the Vindictive Raiding of Journalists.”
On October 4, Newsclick also issued a statement claiming that “they have not been provided an FIR copy, or informed about the exact particulars of the alleged offenses. Moreover, they added, Newsclick has been targeted by a series of actions by various agencies of the government of India since the year 2021. Its offices and residences have been raided by the Enforcement Directorate, the Economic Offenses Wing of Delhi Police and the Department of Income Tax.”
