News Analysis India

Tag: newsclick raids

  • NewsClick rejects allegations levelled in FIR against it as untenable, bogus

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The NewsClick portal has rejected allegations levelled in a Delhi Police FIR against it as untenable and bogus, and said the proceedings initiated are “nothing but a blatant attempt to muzzle the free and independent press in India”.

    In an FIR filed under anti-terror law UAPA against NewsClick, the Delhi Police has alleged a large sum of funds came from China to disrupt India’s sovereignty and cause disaffection against the country as part of a “larger criminal conspiracy.” The FIR also claimed that the foreign fund was fraudulently infused by Neville Roy Singham, an active member of the propaganda department of the Communist Party of China.

    The Delhi Police served a copy of the FIR to the portal on Friday.

    In a statement issued on X on Friday night, the portal said, “The Newsclick has not received any funding or instructions from China or Chinese entities. Further, Newsclick has never committed or sought to encourage violence, secession or any illegal act in any manner whatsoever. A perusal of Newsclick’s coverage, which is freely available online, should be sufficient to indicate the veracity of Newsclick’s claims.”

    The statement also said that Newsclick has full faith in the judicial system of the country and is confident that its stand will be vindicated.

    On Monday, the Delhi Police arrested NewsClick founder and editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha and its HR head Amit Chakravarty after raids at nearly 88 locations related to the premises of the portal and its journalists.

    “The allegations in the FIR, apart from being ex facie untenable and bogus, have been made time and again, in investigations by three government agencies — the Enforcement Directorate, the Economic Offences Wing, Delhi Police, and the income tax department,” it said.

    It said that none of these investigations led to any chargesheets or complaints over the last three years.

    In the statement, the portal said that Purkayastha was granted interim protection in these investigations, and the latest FIR has been registered only to circumvent this and carry out “illegal arrests” under the draconian UAPA.

    #NewsClickRaids | The completely absurd nature of allegations in the FIR clearly show that the proceedings initiated against Newsclick are nothing but a blatant attempt to muzzle the free and independent press in India.The Delhi High Court today, was pleased to issue notice in… pic.twitter.com/HHyr1CDpk8
    — NewsClick (@newsclickin) October 6, 2023
    The portal also said Purkayastha was supplied with a copy of the FIR registered by the Delhi Police Special Cell only on Thursday night pursuant to the directions of the Special Judge, Patiala House.

    “We immediately moved the High Court of Delhi seeking quashing of the FIR as well as the release of Prabir Purkayastha and Amit Chakraborty from their illegal police custody,” it said.

    The Delhi Police had registered an FIR under section sections 13, 16,17, 18 and 22C of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and 153A, and 120B of the IPC and arrested Purkayastha and the human resources head for allegedly receiving foreign funds from China to disrupt India’s sovereignty and cause disaffection against the country.

    The Delhi Police, meanwhile, is likely to question ten people who are named in the FIR on Monday. This includes senior journalists of the NewsClick and contributors.

    ALSO READ | NewsClick row: Delhi police raid Ex-NewsClick staff’s Kerala residence, seize laptop and phone

    Police officials said they have called another set of people allegedly connected to the case.

    At least 20 people have already been questioned on Thursday and Friday.

    NEW DELHI: The NewsClick portal has rejected allegations levelled in a Delhi Police FIR against it as untenable and bogus, and said the proceedings initiated are “nothing but a blatant attempt to muzzle the free and independent press in India”.

    In an FIR filed under anti-terror law UAPA against NewsClick, the Delhi Police has alleged a large sum of funds came from China to disrupt India’s sovereignty and cause disaffection against the country as part of a “larger criminal conspiracy.” The FIR also claimed that the foreign fund was fraudulently infused by Neville Roy Singham, an active member of the propaganda department of the Communist Party of China.

    The Delhi Police served a copy of the FIR to the portal on Friday.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    In a statement issued on X on Friday night, the portal said, “The Newsclick has not received any funding or instructions from China or Chinese entities. Further, Newsclick has never committed or sought to encourage violence, secession or any illegal act in any manner whatsoever. A perusal of Newsclick’s coverage, which is freely available online, should be sufficient to indicate the veracity of Newsclick’s claims.”

    The statement also said that Newsclick has full faith in the judicial system of the country and is confident that its stand will be vindicated.

    On Monday, the Delhi Police arrested NewsClick founder and editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha and its HR head Amit Chakravarty after raids at nearly 88 locations related to the premises of the portal and its journalists.

    “The allegations in the FIR, apart from being ex facie untenable and bogus, have been made time and again, in investigations by three government agencies — the Enforcement Directorate, the Economic Offences Wing, Delhi Police, and the income tax department,” it said.

    It said that none of these investigations led to any chargesheets or complaints over the last three years.

    In the statement, the portal said that Purkayastha was granted interim protection in these investigations, and the latest FIR has been registered only to circumvent this and carry out “illegal arrests” under the draconian UAPA.

    #NewsClickRaids | The completely absurd nature of allegations in the FIR clearly show that the proceedings initiated against Newsclick are nothing but a blatant attempt to muzzle the free and independent press in India.
    The Delhi High Court today, was pleased to issue notice in… pic.twitter.com/HHyr1CDpk8
    — NewsClick (@newsclickin) October 6, 2023
    The portal also said Purkayastha was supplied with a copy of the FIR registered by the Delhi Police Special Cell only on Thursday night pursuant to the directions of the Special Judge, Patiala House.

    “We immediately moved the High Court of Delhi seeking quashing of the FIR as well as the release of Prabir Purkayastha and Amit Chakraborty from their illegal police custody,” it said.

    The Delhi Police had registered an FIR under section sections 13, 16,17, 18 and 22C of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and 153A, and 120B of the IPC and arrested Purkayastha and the human resources head for allegedly receiving foreign funds from China to disrupt India’s sovereignty and cause disaffection against the country.

    The Delhi Police, meanwhile, is likely to question ten people who are named in the FIR on Monday. This includes senior journalists of the NewsClick and contributors.

    ALSO READ | NewsClick row: Delhi police raid Ex-NewsClick staff’s Kerala residence, seize laptop and phone

    Police officials said they have called another set of people allegedly connected to the case.

    At least 20 people have already been questioned on Thursday and Friday.

  • Journalist bodies condemn Newsclick raids, say they are to divert attention from burning issues

    By Online Desk

    The National Alliance of Journalists, the Delhi Union of Journalists and the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (Delhi Unit) issued a joint statement on Tuesday condemning the Delhi Police raids on news portal NewsClick, its scribes, as well as activists. Staffers across designations as well as contributors were raided.

    It said that the residences of Bhasha Singh, Urmilesh, Prabir Purkayastha, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Abhisar Sharma, Aunindyo Chakraborty, Mahesh Kumar, Subodh Varma, Aditi Nigam, Mukund Jha, and many others were raided this morning. The statement claimed that several of the mediapersons were also taken into custody.

    The residences of activist Teesta Setalvad and Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, too, were raided.

    “The government has been targeting Newsclick apparently after the coverage this news portal gave to the issues of workers and farmers,” the statement alleged.

    “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,” it said.

    Journalists Pranjoy Guha Thakurata and Urmilesh being taken to Lodhi Road Special Cell office, in New Delhi, on Oct. 3, 2023. (PTI)

    The statement by the journalist bodies also noted that the Newsclick management has been maintaining that whatever funding they have received was through legal sources and that the evidence for this has been submitted to the Delhi High Court.

    “These new raids are to divert public attention from burning livelihood issues of people. We condemn this with the strongest possible words. We will stand with these journalists in this matter. We urge the Centre to immediately stop this attack on press freedom. We urge the media fraternity to protest against this witch-hunt by the government,” the statement said.

    Meanwhile, the Press Club of India has demanded the Centre to come out with details of the investigation. “The Press Club of India is deeply concerned about the multiple raids conducted on the houses of journalists and writers associated with #Newsclick. We are monitoring the developments and will be releasing a detailed statement,” the journalists’ body wrote on X.

    The Network of Women in Media, India Journalists, termed the police action “shocking”, and said on X that “activists and artists who speak truth to power are being unrelentingly harassed and persecuted by the government, while pliant and sycophantic mediapersons and media houses are being nurtured. This campaign to quell dissent has to stop.”

    ALSO READ | Raids on NewsClick journos, a distraction from ‘explosive’ findings of Bihar caste survey: Congress

    Raids at 30 locations across NCR

    Sources informed TNIE that searches are being made by the Delhi Police’s Special Cell at more than 30 locations across the NCR, including the office of NewsClick, while its journalists are being questioned and their mobile phones and laptops have been seized by the cops.

    Police have recovered dumped data from the seized laptops and phones.

    The Special Cell has reportedly filed a new case under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, following allegations that the news portal received money for pro-China propaganda.

    Sources told TNIE that the Special Cell has formed a list of at least 25 questions which they are asking the detained journalists. The questions pertain to anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh, Farmers’ Protest, North East Delhi riots and even details of their foreign travels. 

    There is no confirmation yet of arrests made so far in the searches concentrated in the Delhi-NCR region.

    A police personnel arrives at the office of NewsClick at Saket during raids by Delhi Police’s Special Cell on its premises, in New Delhi, on Oct. 3, 2023. (PTI)

    Background

    The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had earlier raided the firm’s premises probing its sources of funding. The Special Cell is conducting raids on the basis of inputs provided by the central agency.

    The ED had registered a case against the news portal and alleged that NewsClick received foreign funding in violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). The agency had also alleged that the money was used for anti-national activities.

    On August 5, The New York Times published a report titled “A Global Web of Chinese Propaganda Leads to a US Tech Mogul” which claimed that NewsClick was part of a global network that received funding from American millionaire Neville Roy Singham, who allegedly works closely with the Chinese government media and promoted its point of view in various countries.

    Following the NYT report, NewsClick had issued a statement remarking that the allegations made against the organisation were “unfounded and without basis in fact or law.”

    (With inputs from Ujwal Jalali and PTI)

    The National Alliance of Journalists, the Delhi Union of Journalists and the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (Delhi Unit) issued a joint statement on Tuesday condemning the Delhi Police raids on news portal NewsClick, its scribes, as well as activists. Staffers across designations as well as contributors were raided.

    It said that the residences of Bhasha Singh, Urmilesh, Prabir Purkayastha, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Abhisar Sharma, Aunindyo Chakraborty, Mahesh Kumar, Subodh Varma, Aditi Nigam, Mukund Jha, and many others were raided this morning. The statement claimed that several of the mediapersons were also taken into custody.

    The residences of activist Teesta Setalvad and Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, too, were raided.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2′); });

    “The government has been targeting Newsclick apparently after the coverage this news portal gave to the issues of workers and farmers,” the statement alleged.

    “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,” it said.

    Journalists Pranjoy Guha Thakurata and Urmilesh being taken to Lodhi Road Special Cell office, in New Delhi, on Oct. 3, 2023. (PTI)

    The statement by the journalist bodies also noted that the Newsclick management has been maintaining that whatever funding they have received was through legal sources and that the evidence for this has been submitted to the Delhi High Court.

    “These new raids are to divert public attention from burning livelihood issues of people. We condemn this with the strongest possible words. We will stand with these journalists in this matter. We urge the Centre to immediately stop this attack on press freedom. We urge the media fraternity to protest against this witch-hunt by the government,” the statement said.

    Meanwhile, the Press Club of India has demanded the Centre to come out with details of the investigation. “The Press Club of India is deeply concerned about the multiple raids conducted on the houses of journalists and writers associated with #Newsclick. We are monitoring the developments and will be releasing a detailed statement,” the journalists’ body wrote on X.

    The Network of Women in Media, India Journalists, termed the police action “shocking”, and said on X that “activists and artists who speak truth to power are being unrelentingly harassed and persecuted by the government, while pliant and sycophantic mediapersons and media houses are being nurtured. This campaign to quell dissent has to stop.”

    ALSO READ | Raids on NewsClick journos, a distraction from ‘explosive’ findings of Bihar caste survey: Congress

    Raids at 30 locations across NCR

    Sources informed TNIE that searches are being made by the Delhi Police’s Special Cell at more than 30 locations across the NCR, including the office of NewsClick, while its journalists are being questioned and their mobile phones and laptops have been seized by the cops.

    Police have recovered dumped data from the seized laptops and phones.

    The Special Cell has reportedly filed a new case under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, following allegations that the news portal received money for pro-China propaganda.

    Sources told TNIE that the Special Cell has formed a list of at least 25 questions which they are asking the detained journalists. The questions pertain to anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh, Farmers’ Protest, North East Delhi riots and even details of their foreign travels. 

    There is no confirmation yet of arrests made so far in the searches concentrated in the Delhi-NCR region.

    A police personnel arrives at the office of NewsClick at Saket during raids by Delhi Police’s Special Cell on its premises, in New Delhi, on Oct. 3, 2023. (PTI)

    Background

    The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had earlier raided the firm’s premises probing its sources of funding. The Special Cell is conducting raids on the basis of inputs provided by the central agency.

    The ED had registered a case against the news portal and alleged that NewsClick received foreign funding in violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). The agency had also alleged that the money was used for anti-national activities.

    On August 5, The New York Times published a report titled “A Global Web of Chinese Propaganda Leads to a US Tech Mogul” which claimed that NewsClick was part of a global network that received funding from American millionaire Neville Roy Singham, who allegedly works closely with the Chinese government media and promoted its point of view in various countries.

    Following the NYT report, NewsClick had issued a statement remarking that the allegations made against the organisation were “unfounded and without basis in fact or law.”

    (With inputs from Ujwal Jalali and PTI)