Indian police raid media offices and the homes of journalists as part of an investigation into suspected illegal foreign funding of the press in India. More than 40 journalists were interrogated by the Delhi Police on October 3 as part of the case registered on August 17 under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act of 1967. Several journalists were detained, and their personnel and official belongings were confiscated. Delhi police have confirmed that two journalists have been arrested.
Over 30 locations of an Indian news portal named NewsClick were raided, and electronic devices were seized from the offices as part of the raids. Moreover, many staff and employees, ranging from senior journalists to part-time and freelance employees, were detained and questioned. Many journalists were allowed to leave the detention centers after long hours of questioning on Tuesday. Even their lawyers were not allowed to meet them until they left the police station. While its founder and chief editor, Pabir Purkayastha, and the head of Human Resources, Amit Chakravarty, were arrested and brought to the Delhi Police Special Cell as part of the investigation,
The Investigation Agency alleged that this media house has been functioning as the mouthpiece of the Communist Party of China or other interests. NewsClick has denied the allegations of pro-China propaganda, which paved the way for these raids and other related disruptions.
NewsClick has been considered a bone of contention by the government since 2021 for being a dissenting voice in a democratic nation. Similar raids by investigation agencies were conducted back in 2021 as well.
Journalists Protest
Freedom of the press and the right to dissent are the keys to any democratic nation in the world. Any citizen of our nation, regardless of religion, region, caste, or political ideology, has the right to show an unwillingness to cooperate with an established source of authority, including the government. The voice of dissent is necessary for a democracy to work properly. Crushing these voices is like crushing the whole democracy and our constitution itself.
The courtyard at the Press Club of India in Lutyen’s Delhi was brimming with journalists, writers, and activists to show their dissent over the recent raids, arrests, and detentions. They consider it cooked-up charges on the news agency.
‘You should consider seriously the fact that journalists are treated like terrorists’ Writer activist Arundhati Roy, one of the protesters, responded about the raids to ‘TheWire’.’
Several journalists all over the globe and many foreign delegates have also condemned the actions of the state and its police for attacking its press. Even a large number of members of the general public also state it as an arbitrary use or misuse of state power to suppress dissenting voices.
Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967
Since its inception, UAPA has been considered one of the most contentious acts in the country. The law aims at preventing unlawful activities associated with India. It assigns absolute and sole power to the central government. The center can use its power to decide if an activity is unlawful or not. Under this law, both Indians and foreign nationals can be punished, and the highest punishment under this law is the death penalty and life imprisonment.
The history of UAPA can be traced back to the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1908 during the colonial period. It was used by the British to dismantle the Indian freedom movement. After independence, this law was amended and introduced as the UAPA in 1967. This Act contains many controversial clauses that are used by the ruling governments to dismantle the critics, just like colonial rulers did to the Indian freedom fighters. The controversial parts of the act include the humongous power of the police with regards to arrest, search, and investigation; no provision to provide anticipatory bail to the accused; and high restrictions on bail. Moreover, it violates the established rule of presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
There should be amendments made to this draconian act, as it still has outdated colonial elements in it.
