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The Delhi Police have detained Prabir Purkayastha, the creator of NewsClick, in connection with an Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act investigation. Amit Chakravarty, NewsClick’s director of human resources, was also detained.
Prabir Purkayastha, founder of NewsClick, and their HR head Amit Chakravarty were detained for 7 days.
In connection with charges that the portal received funding for pro-China propaganda, NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha and HR head Amit Chakravarty were detained and placed on remand for seven days, according to officials on Wednesday.
Tuesday saw the arrest of Purkayastha and Chakravarty as well as a search of more than 30 places and questioning of many journalists about the issue.
Nine female suspects were questioned at their respective homes while 37 male suspects were questioned at the Delhi Police Special Cell’s office.
NewsClick raids were the outcome of a 45-day covert operation and financial inquiry
Hours after the raids, India urged the Centre to adhere to the law and refrain from enacting severe criminal laws “as tools for press intimidation. “These raids are an additional effort to restrict press freedom. While we agree that the law needs to be upheld if there have been actual offenses, the right procedure needs to be followed.
The Delhi Police’s special cell has conducted a covert investigation into a terror FIR against NewsClick, a web portal. The investigation lasted 45 days before launching coordinated raids on suspects categorized.
The arrested editors-in-chief Prabir Purkaystha and human resources head Amit Chakraborty are in category A, with at least four more suspects. The investigation was initially based on documents from the enforcement directorate.
The Delhi Police conducted a 45-day covert investigation before raiding NewsClick, a web portal, and arresting its editor-in-chief and human resources head. The investigation involved technical surveillance, financial analysis, and content analysis.
Suspects were categorized into three sections, with at least four more in category A. Around 400-450 police officers participated in the operation.
Both were presented to a judge, which ordered their continued detention in police custody, according to a senior official.
Tuesday, police in Delhi sealed up the NewsClick office. In a previous statement, officials said that 46 “suspects” had been interrogated and that digital objects, such as laptops and smartphones, as well as papers, had been removed for inspection.
The Delhi-NCR region was the focus of the searches, which started in the morning.
Journalists Urmilesh, Aunindyo Chakravarty, Abhisar Sharma, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, as well as Sohail Hashmi, a historian, satirist Sanjay Rajoura, and D Raghunandan from the Centre for Technology & Development, were among those questioned. They were permitted to leave after being interrogated for more than six hours.
The Special Cell of the Delhi Police raided Newsclick’s headquarters, as well as the homes of journalists, staff members, consultants, and independent contributors, on October 3, 2023. Amit Chakraborty, an administrative officer, and founder-editor Prabir Purkayastha were among those questioned. Without following the proper procedures, electronic gadgets were taken, and Newsclick’s office was closed.
The Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) is allegedly violated by Newsclick since it allegedly hosts Chinese propaganda on its website. Since 2021, the government has been raiding Newsclick’s offices and homes. Every technology, including laptops, devices, phones, emails, and communications, has been examined.
However, Newsclick has not been charged with any violations of the Indian Penal Code or the Enforcement Directorate, Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing, or the Income Tax Department.
None of these organizations have contacted Prabir Purkayastha to ask him to be interviewed. Despite having access to all of Newsclick’s data, records, and communications, the government has not been able to prove any of its accusations.
In order to invoke the UAPA and silence independent voices that tell the tale of the real India, a motivated and false piece was published in the New York Times as a result.
