October 5, 2023
In a significant development, the founding editor of News Click, Prabir Purkayashta and Human Resource head, Amit Chakraborty have been remanded to seven days of police custody under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on the charges for promoting Chinese propaganda. This move comes as authorities intensify their crackdown on entities suspected of promoting anti-national activities.
Raids were conducted on Tuesday morning by the Delhi Police on the team behind NewsClick as well as its contributors, including independent journalists, including former NDTV editor, Abhishar Sharma.
According to sources, the agency had obtained substantial evidence suggesting that NewsClick was involved in anti-national activities. This evidence reportedly includes financial transactions and digital communications that point to a nexus between NewsClick and Chinese entities.
Two months back, a New York Times investigation had accused NewsClick of being an organisation funded by a network linked with US millionaire Neville Roy Singham, to allegedly promote Chinese propaganda.
Besides the UAPA case, a money laundering case filed earlier is also pending against NewsClick.
The arrests have sparked a heated debate on the balance between national security and freedom of the press. Advocacy groups argue that the government’s actions should be subject to scrutiny and emphasize the importance of protecting the freedom of the press. On the other hand, supporters of the crackdown argue that national security concerns must take precedence.
The case against NewsClick’s founding editor and HR head is likely to face intense legal scrutiny in the coming days, as the nation awaits further updates in this high-profile case.