New Delhi: On October 3, 2023, the Delhi Police raided the residences of several journalists and media workers associated with the news website NewsClick. The raids were conducted as part of an investigation into a case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The police action took place in connection with a case registered on August 17. The case was filed under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups) and 120B (punishment for criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
Among those who were reportedly raided were the website’s editor, Prabir Purkayastha, journalists Abhisar Sharma, Aunindyo Chakravarty and Bhasha Singh, and satirist Sanjay Rajaura.
Searches were also reportedly underway at Newsclick’s office in Delhi. Visuals released by ANI showed Assistant Commissioner of Police Lalit Mohan Negi arriving at the news organisation’s office.
In Mumbai, similar action was being taken against activist Teesta Setalvad, who is the director of think tank Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. The think tank has written articles for Newsclick.
On August 5, The New York Times published a report claiming that NewsClick had received funds from a network centred around American millionaire Neville Roy Singham to spread “Chinese propaganda” around the world.
The report claimed that Singham worked closely with the “Chinese government media machine” and promoted its point of view in various countries.
In 2021, the Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing filed a case against Newsclick, alleging that Newsclick received foreign direct investment from the United States-based company. The police alleged that the company that runs the news website received foreign investment by “greatly overvaluing the shares of the company to avoid the alleged cap of 26 per cent of FDI in a digital news website”, The Indian Express reported.
The Enforcement Directorate had raided NewsClick in connection with a related case of alleged money laundering.
The UAPA is a controversial law that has been criticized for being used to target dissent and free speech. The law allows the government to detain individuals without a charge for up to six months and to prosecute them for offenses that are punishable by death or life imprisonment.
The Delhi Police has not yet disclosed the specific allegations against the NewsClick journalists and media workers. However, the raids have been widely condemned by journalists and human rights activists, who have accused the government of using the UAPA to harass and intimidate the media.
The raids on NewsClick are part of a broader pattern of crackdowns on independent media in India. In recent years, the government has used a variety of tactics to silence dissent, including the UAPA, sedition laws, and defamation lawsuits.
The raids on NewsClick are a serious threat to press freedom in India. The government must immediately drop all charges against the NewsClick journalists and media workers, and it must stop using the UAPA and other laws to silence the media.
The CPJ has called on the Indian government to “immediately drop all charges against the journalists and media workers associated with NewsClick and to stop harassing and intimidating the independent press.”
Amnesty International has said that the raids on NewsClick are “part of a broader pattern of intimidation and harassment of independent journalists in India.”
Human Rights Watch has said that the raids on NewsClick are “a clear attempt to silence critical reporting.”