New Delhi:

A day after the arrest of two people, including the founder and Editor-in-Chief of NewsClick, Prabir Purkayastha and Human Resources Head Amit Chakravarty were sent to seven days of police remand on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the Delhi Police arrested two persons including founder and Editor-in-Chief of NewsClick Prabir Purkayastha after quizzing them in their office following raids at his premises under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and other sections, the police officials said.

According to the Delhi Police, a total of 37 male suspects have been questioned at the premises, and nine female suspects have been questioned at their respective places of stay.

“Regarding the search, seizure and detentions carried out today in connection with a UAPA case registered with Special Cell, so far two accused, Prabir Purkayastha and Amit Chakravarty have been arrested. A total of 37 male suspects have been questioned at the premises, and nine female suspects have been questioned at their respective places of stay,” the police said.

It further said that the digital devices, documents etc have been seized and collected for examination.

The Editor-in-Chief of NewsClick, Prabir Purkayastha and writers Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and Urmilesh were brought to the special cell offices in the national capital as part of the investigation as Delhi Police launched a crackdown against NewsClick and its journalists earlier this morning in connection with an FIR registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The Delhi Police’s Special Cell on Tuesday afternoon sealed the office of the online news portal in the national capital.

The raids were carried out at more than 30 locations in connection with a case registered on August 17 under UAPA and other sections of IPC, including 153A (promoting enmity between two groups), and 120 B (criminal conspiracy).

Earlier, on August 10, a report in the New York Times had alleged that NewsClick was part of a global network that receives funding from American billionaire Neville Roy Singham.

Mr Singham is known as a socialist benefactor of far-left causes and is at the centre of a lavishly funded influence campaign that defends China and pushes its propaganda.

Mr Singham is also said to have close ties with the Chinese government’s media machine.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Washington:

The United States has seen reports about the alleged ties of an Indian media outlet, which was raided by officials a day earlier, with China but cannot comment on the veracity of the claims, an official said.

We have seen reports about this outlet’s ties to the People’s Republic of China, “but we can’t comment yet on the veracity of those claims”, State Department Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters at a news conference here.

“Separately, of course though, the US government strongly supports the robust role of the media globally, including social media, in a vibrant and free democracy,” he said.

“We raise concerns on these matters with the Indian government, with countries around the world, through our diplomatic engagements that are at the core of our bilateral relationship.

“We have urged the Indian government and have done so not just with India, but other countries as well, about the importance of respecting the human rights of journalists, including freedom of expression both online and offline,” he said.

“I don’t have additional information though, about this particular circumstance or any of the underlying issues that may or may not be related to this outlet, however,” Mr Patel added.

The New York Times, in an investigated story in August, reported about the raided Indian media outlet receiving funds from an Indian American having ties to Chinese propaganda interests.

“A Times investigation had linked the site to a pro-China network,” the daily reported.

“In New Delhi, corporate filings show, Mr. Singham’s network financed a news site, NewsClick, that sprinkled its coverage with Chinese government talking points,” The New York Times then wrote.

In a statement, the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), an advocacy organisation of diaspora Indian Muslims, strongly condemned the raid on the office of the news portal and journalists associated with it.

The IAMC called upon the government to immediately drop the “baseless” case against NewsClick and release all journalists who have been unjustly detained.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Delhi Police has levelled a series of strong allegations against NewsClick, whose founder and HR head have been arrested under a stringent anti-terror law. Sources in the force alleged the news portal received Rs 38 crore from entities linked to Chinese individuals and some of its funds were shared with activists Gautam Navlakha and Teesta Setalvad, who are accused in other cases.

Days after a New York Times investigation alleged that the news portal had received money for pro-China propaganda, the police carried out searches at the home of journalists linked to NewsClick at over 100 locations in Delhi-NCR and Mumbai on Tuesday. 

Inflow

Delhi Police sources alleged NewsClick received Rs 38 crore from entities allegedly linked to Chinese individuals and the funds were used to influence pro-China content on the portal. They claimed Rs 9 crore was received as Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) through inflating share prices and 29 crore was received as fees for export services. 

“No proof was submitted by NewsClick for exporting any services to foreign entities,” a source said.

‘Fund Sharing?’

The sources claimed that some of the funds collected by NewsClick were also shared with Gautam Navlakha and Teesta Setalavad. 

Mr Navlakha was arrested in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case in 2018 and has been under arrest since then. In November last year, the Supreme Court had allowed the journalist-activist to be placed under house arrest because of his deteriorating health condition. 

Mr Navlakha was among several activists who had been arrested in a case related to alleged inflammatory speeches made at the Elgar Parishad conclave held on December 31, 2017. Police claimed that these speeches triggered violence the next day at a gathering near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial near the city. 

Teesta Setalavad was arrested in June 2022 along with former Gujarat police chief RB Sreekumar and former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt for allegedly using her close associates and riot victims to file “false and fabricated affidavits before the Supreme Court with a view to unseat the establishment and to tarnish the image of the establishment and the then chief minister.”

She was granted bail by the Supreme Court in July this year. The bench had questioned the motives and timing of Ms Setalvad’s arrest and said it thought the case against her was suspect. 

NewsClick has not reacted to these charges so far.

Other Reactions

The sources said 46 individuals associated with NewsClick are under investigation by agencies.  “A total of 37 male suspects have been questioned at premises, 9 female suspects have been questioned at their respective places of stay and digital devices, documents etc. have been seized/collected for examination. The proceedings are still ongoing; so far, two accused have been arrested – NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha and HR head Amit Chakravarty,” a source said. 

A statement released by the Editors Guild of India said, “EGI is concerned that these raids are yet another attempt to muzzle the media. While we recognise that the law must take its course if actual offences are involved, the due process has to be followed. The investigation of specific offences must not create a general atmosphere of intimidation under the shadow of draconian laws, or impinge on the freedom of expression and the raising of dissenting and critical voices.”

The Opposition parties have slammed the government over the raids. “The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) parties strongly condemn the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s fresh attack on the media. We steadfastly stand with the media and for the constitutionally protected freedoms of speech and expression,” a joint statement by the bloc said.

The government has, however, said it does not need to justify the agencies’ action. “If anyone has done anything wrong, search agencies are free to carry out investigations against them under set guidelines,” Union Minister Anurag Thakur said.