NewsClick raid Updates: Police officials seal firm's Delhi office

In the controversy, the name of American millionaire Neville Roy Singham also emerged in the NYT's report, which claimed that NewsClick was part of a global network that received funding from Singham, to allegedly spread Chinese propaganda in India.

"In New Delhi, corporate filings show, Singham's network financed a news site, NewsClick, that sprinkled its coverage with Chinese government talking points. 'China's history continues to inspire the working classes,' one video said," The New York Times report noted. Read more

After conducting a day-long search, seizures and detentions, Delhi Police on Tuesday arrested NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha and Amit Chakraborty, a shareholder in the firm under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Read more

The Communist Party of India (CPI) Rajya Sabha MP on Tuesday condemned the raids on the NewsClick office and staff residence by Delhi Police and claimed that the Delhi Police raided the residences of several journalists, activists, authors, and satirists and engaged in searches and seizures of books, journals, magazines, laptops, and mobile phones, allegedly without any warrant, and Delhi Police gave no clarity on the reasons behind this crackdown and widespread searches and seizures.

CPI MP Binoy Viswam said in a statement that the common thread between the persons who were raided is well-known for their critical approach towards the wrongdoings of the Modi government, instead of compliance as desired by the BJP.

These journalists and activists have questioned the Modi regime on several critical issues, like the mishandling of the Manipur crisis, the Adani-Hindenburg revelations, the spread of fake news, the communalisation of society and media, Pegasus snooping issue, corruption in the Rafael Deal, etc, he said.

"That is very much unfortunate and deplorable... Today it happened with NewsClick, tomorrow we don't know with whom it will be. Many journalists from Jammu & Kashmir are already arrested... What happened with NewsClick is an attack on constitutional rights and on freedom of the press," CPI(M) leader MY Tarigami said.

“Nine police personnel came to my house in Gurgaon at 6:30 am today. They asked me various questions. I voluntarily came with them to Delhi Police Special Cell at Lodhi Road. What has happened is in public domain and time will tell,” says journalist Pranjoy Guha Thakurta on Delhi Police action against 'NewsClick'.

Hours before the Delhi Police conducted raids on the premises of online portal NewsClick and several journalists associated with the organisation, the first meeting by the officials of the special cell was held on Monday mid-night. The meeting was attended by more than 200 police personnel at 2am at the special cell office in Lodhi Colony, news agency ANI reported citing sources.

Apart from senior officials, the mobile handsets of junior officials were kept at the station, to hide any leaked information, the report claimed. The Delhi Police special cell carried out raids at more than 30 locations, the report said, adding that suspects were marked in the A, B, and C categories. Read more

Among those questioned were journalists Urmilesh, Aunindyo Chakravarty, Abhisar Sharma, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta as well as historian Sohail Hashmi. The police posed a list of 25 questions to them relating to various issues, including their foreign travels, protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh as well as the farmers' agitation, sources said.

The police said no one has so far been arrested during the searches concentrated in Delhi-NCR. Founder and editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha was taken to the portal's south Delhi office where a forensic team was present.

Delhi Police Special Cell officials seal the office of 'NewsClick' in Delhi. Delhi Police is conducting raids at different premises linked to NewsClick under UAPA and other sections today.

On Delhi Police action against 'NewsClick', Union minister Anurag Thakur in Odisha's Bhubaneshwar, "The investigation agencies are doing their work. If the agency has taken action, then it must have been based on evidence or complaint."

The action has been taken on the basis of a case registered on August 17 under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Section 153A (promoting enmity between two groups), 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, according to ANI.

The exact details of the case are, however, not known as there has been no formal word from the Delhi Police yet.

The portal was already being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate on money laundering charges. In 2021, the Delhi high court, however, had barred the federal agency from taking any coercive action against NewsClick and its editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha. Read more

The coalition of Opposition parties, the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), on Tuesday condenmed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government over ‘fresh attack on media’ citing the recent raid conducted by Delhi Police in several places of journalists and employees associated with news portal NewsClick over alleged Chinese link.

Homes of at least six journalists among 30 locations were raided by the special cell of the central Police. The search operation was conducted in a case fied under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, after the allegations that the news portal received funds for pro-China propaganda. Read more

A Special Cell team took journalist Abhisar Sharma with it after questioning him at his home in Noida Extension. The team seized gadgets like mobile phones and the laptop of the journalist landing at his home in the morning.

Delhi Police sources said the raids, which started early Tuesday morning, are based on a case registered in August under UAPA and other sections of IPC, including Section 153A (promoting enmity between two groups), 120B (criminal conspiracy).

Before he was detained, Abhisar Sharma wrote on X, "Delhi police landed at my home. Taking away my laptop and phone."

Another journalist, Bhasha Singh, wrote on X, "Finally last tweet from this phone. Delhi police seizure (sic) my phone."

Amnesty India took cognisance of the raid being conducted at various places of journalists and activists associated with the news outlet NewsClick. It urged the government to respect their rights to freedom of expression.

“The media plays a crucial role in reporting human rights abuses in the country. Yet time and again, UAPA, India’s principal counter-terrorism law, has been abused to target journalists and human rights defenders who criticise government policies…The Government of India must stop harassing and intimidating journalists and respect their right to freedom of expression,” it wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said that raids are a sign of a “losing BJP”.

"This is not a new thing, BJP rulers have always raided honest journalists. But how many crores of rupees are being given to 'Mitra channels' every month in the name of government 'prachar-prasar' (advertisements), anyone should also print that," Yadav said in a post on X.

The Delhi Police on Tuesday arrived at the official residence of CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury as part of the ongoing action against entities and journalists linked to NewsClick, the online news portal recently named by the New York Times for allegedly receiving Chinese funding.

Yechury said that the raid was not targeted at the CPI-M, saying the police were looking for the son of a party office staff who works at NewsClick as a graphics artist. Read more.

In Mumbai, teams of the Delhi Police special cell and the Mumbai police conducted searches at the residence of activist Teesta Setalvad, reported PTI.

Leaders of Rashtriya Janata Dal on Tuesday criticised the police action against NewsClick and journalists linked with it.

“Crushing the fourth pillar of democracy is a cowardly act. The Modi government is afraid of the truth,” RJD chief and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Yadav wrote on X.

RJD MP Manoj Jha accused Home Minister Amit Shah of being behind the police action and alleged that those who refused to join the BJP “Bhajan Mandali” would be treated in this manner.

Congress leader Pawan Khera claimed that the raids on contributing journalists at Newsclick are a "fresh distraction" from the "explosive findings of caste census in Bihar" and the growing demand for a similar exercise across the country.

"When he faces questions from out of syllabus, he resorts to the only counter he has in his predictable syllabus - DISTRACTION," Khera wrote on X, in a reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

NewsClicks' founder and editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha has been brought to the Delhi Police Special Cell's office, reports ANI.

"I feel that dictatorship has come... This is a message from the BJP to all the journalists. We are in support of free journalism. We strongly condemn these raids," Congress MP Pramod Tiwari said on the action against journalists linked to NewsClick.

Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur said that if anyone has committed anything wrong, search agencies are free to carry out investigations against them under set guidelines. "I don't need to justify," he told ANI.

“Urmilesh's wife informed me that he has been arrested by the Delhi Police. I have no other details as of now,” the journalist's counsel, Gaurav Yadav, told ANI.

The raids at the homes of at least six journalists linked to NewsClick are being conducted on a case registered on August 17 under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and other sections of IPC, ANI reported quoting people familiar with the matter.

The Press Club of India said that it is "deeply concerned" about the multiple raids conducted on the houses of journalists associated with NewsClick.

"We are monitoring the developments and will be releasing a detailed statement," the body wrote on X. “The PCI stand in solidarity with the journalists and demand the government to come out with details.”

Some journalists linked to NewsClick have been brought to the Delhi Police Special Cell's office at Lodhi Road, reports PTI. Officials said that the police have recovered the dump data from the laptops and mobile phones of the journalists.