New Delhi: “Nature of employment” at the NewsClick news portal, coverage of the 2020 Delhi Riots and calls made to the US — these were some of the questions allegedly put to journalists questioned Tuesday in a fresh case against the news portal, registered under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, for alleged receipt of funds from China.
Delhi Police Tuesday also arrested NewsClick editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha and human resources head Amit Chakravarty and sealed the office of the news portal at Delhi’s Sainik Farm, registered in the name of PPK NewsClick Studio Pvt. Ltd.
Before his arrest, Purkayastha was brought to the Lodhi Colony Police Station of the Special Cell for questioning.
The news portal has already been under the scanner of the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for allegedly receiving funds from China, routed through the United States. The news portal had also faced an income tax raid in 2021.
In a statement issued Wednesday, NewsClick said, “We have not been provided with a copy of the FIR, or informed about the exact particulars of the offences with which we have been charged. Electronic devices were seized from the NewsClick premises and homes of employees, without any adherence to due process such as the provision of seizure memos, hash values of the seized data, or even copies of the data. NewsClick’s office has also been sealed in a blatant attempt at preventing us from continuing our reporting.”
The statement added: “What we have been able to gather is that NewsClick stands accused of offences under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), for purportedly carrying Chinese propaganda on its website.”
Denying allegations of “Chinese propaganda”, the news portal in its statement further added, “NewsClick has been targeted by a series of actions by various agencies of the Government of India since 2021… Yet, in the last two plus years, the Enforcement Directorate has not been able to file a complaint accusing NewsClick of money laundering. The Economic Offences Wing of Delhi Police has not been able to file a charge sheet against NewsClick for offences under the Indian Penal Code. The Income Tax Department has not been able to defend its actions before the Courts of law.”
According to police sources, the latest FIR against the news portal, registered last month, has been filed under sections 13 (unlawful activities), 16 (terrorist act), 17 (raising funds for terrorist acts), 18 (conspiracy) and 22 (C) (offences by companies) of the UAPA, as well as sections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 120B (criminal conspiracy).
Raids at the houses of journalists and others believed to be employed at or associated in some form with NewsClick had started early Tuesday, with Delhi Police teams raiding at least 30 locations across Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad and Mumbai, according to police sources. Raids were carried out at the Mumbai house of civil rights activist Teesta Setalvad and the office of Sabrang India, of which Setalvad is the editor, the sources added.
The ED is reportedly probing fund transfers amounting to approximately Rs 40 lakh from NewsClick to Teesta Setalvad’s family.
News of the ongoing raids started trickling in early Tuesday, with journalist Abhisar Sharma posting about it on the social media platform X (previously Twitter) around 8 a.m.
“Delhi police landed at my home. Taking away my laptop and Phone,” he wrote.
Delhi police landed at my home. Taking away my laptop and Phone…
— Abhisar Sharma (@abhisar_sharma) October 3, 2023
Others to be questioned in the case included journalist Urmilesh (identified by a single name only), Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, and Bhasha Singh.
Raids were also allegedly carried out at the house of stand-up comedian Sanjay Rajoura, who was previously part of a show on NewsClick, and his phone and laptop were seized.
Sources close to Bhasha Singh told ThePrint that a police team of six officials reached her house at 6.30 a.m. Tuesday and stayed for a period of three hours. A mobile phone and laptop belonging to the journalist were also allegedly seized by police.
Guha Thakurta also told the media that nine police officers came to his residence at 6.30 a.m. and asked him “various questions” and that he came “voluntarily” with the officers to the Lodhi Road police station for questioning.
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The case against NewsClick
According to the ED investigators probing a money laundering case against NewsClick, the news portal allegedly received funds from China, routed through the US, amounting to Rs 76.84 crore.
The investigators have also claimed that NewsClick’s “China link” was established by its association with Shanghai-based American businessman Neville Roy Singham, described in the agency’s documents as a “close confidant” of editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha and a contact person of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
The agency also allegedly found that Singham exchanged “incriminating emails about China with editor Prabir Purkayasth” and other journalists, activists, and several Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leaders.
In February 2021, the ED had also conducted raids on the offices of the directors as well as editor Purkayastha. Purkayastha and author Githa Hariharan were also detained during that raid for questioning.
In a statement, NewsClick had then said that its office “was raided for over 36 hours and some equipment vital to our functioning as a news organisation was seized” and “communication devices of directors and senior management have also been seized, which has, therefore, limited their ability to return to work or indeed, respond to queries of the media”.
A New York Times investigation report in August this year, claimed that the news portal had been incorporating “Chinese government talking points” into its coverage.
Talking about Tuesday’s probe, Delhi Police said in a statement, “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 statement added: “The proceedings are still ongoing; so far, two accused, Prabir Purkayastha and Amit Chakravarty have been arrested. Further investigation is in progress.”
Questions on ‘coverage of Delhi riots’
Talking about the questioning, Guha Thakurta said he was repeatedly asked about “the nature of his employment” with NewsClick and whether he was a full-time employee at the news portal. He said he replied that had been a consultant there since 2018.
Guha Thakurta also said he was asked whether he had covered the 2020 Delhi riots and the farmers’ protests (against three controversial farm laws brought in by the Narendra Modi government at the Centre that have now been repealed) in 2020-21.
He was also allegedly asked about calls made to the US and if he used the Signal messaging app.
The ED is also reportedly investigating the alleged transfer of about Rs 72 lakh by NewsClick to Guha Thakurta.
Some journalists and associates of NewsClick, speaking on condition of anonymity, alleged that they were not given summons even after they were brought to the police station for questioning, while another consultant working with the firm claimed that he wasn’t handed any seizure memos for two mobiles, one laptop, six bank passbooks and the work agreement with NewsClick, that were seized from his residence early Tuesday.
“I was asked, ‘Have you written on North-East [Delhi] riots?’ I replied that I hadn’t written on the riots, but the translations done by me were published in my name,” the consultant claimed.
ThePrint reached Deputy Commissioner of Police and the Delhi Police spokesperson, Suman Nalwa for a response to the allegations made by the journalists, but she refused to answer specific allegations citing “active investigation” in this case.
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
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