After carrying out several raids at premises linked to online news portal NewsClick, the Delhi Police’s Special Cell on Tuesday afternoon sealed the office of the portal in the national capital. Police also confirmed arresting two, including the platform’s founder and editor-in-chief, Prabir Purkayastha.
Earlier in the day, premises of journalists linked to NewsClick were raided by the Delhi Police’s Special Cell on Tuesday morning in connection with a case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The searches and seizure of laptops and phones of the journalists linked to the portal, which is suspected to have used Chinese funds, evoked a sharp response from media organisations, which called the raids an attack on press freedom.
The journalists whose premises were searched included Abhishar Sharma, Bhasa Singh, Urmilesh, stand-up comedian Sanjay Rajoura, and historian Sohail Hashmi. The police also took the founder and editor-in-chief of NewsClick, Prabir Purkayastha, to the South Delhi office of the portal.
The Special Cell of Delhi Police took journalists Urmilesh and Abhishar Sharma to their Lodhi Road office for questioning. According to sources, police questioned all the journalists about their foreign travels, the Saheen Bagh protest, the farmers’ protest, etc.
The portal is under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate over money laundering and misuse of foreign funds. The Delhi Police had registered the case against the portal under the UAPA on 17 August.
In an official statement, Delhi Police PRO Suman Nalwa said: “Regarding the search, seizure and detentions carried out today in connection with a UAPA case registered with Special Cell, a total of 37 male suspects have been questioned at premises, 09 female suspects have been questioned at their respective places of stay and digital devices, documents etc. have been seized/collected for examination. The proceedings are still ongoing; so far, two accused, Prabir Purkayastha and Amit Chakravarty, have been arrested. Further investigation is in progress.”
At a rally in Bhubaneswar, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thankur said, “Probe agencies in the country are independent and work in accordance with the law. If someone has done something wrong, investigating agencies should work on it. Nowhere is it written that if you have gotten money in an illegal manner or done something objectionable, then probe agencies cannot investigate that.”