Police officials today brought NewsClick editor Prabir Purkayastha, writers Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and Urmilesh to the special cell offices in the national capital.
In Mumbai teams of the Delhi police special cell & Mumbai police conducted searches at the residence of activist Teesta Setalvad.
Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur defended the police action against NewsClick saying that if anyone has done something, investigation agencies are free to carry out investigations.
“I don’t need to justify… If anyone has committed anything wrong, search agencies are free to carry out investigations against them under set guidelines,” Thakur told reportes in Bhubaneswar.
The opposition parties however were quick to criticise the police action and blamed the centre for targeting journalists.
RJD leader and MP Manoj Jha alleged that these raids against NewsClick are being conducted under the Centre’s direction.
“This is the most unfortunate thing… Why are you calling them Delhi Police… They are under Home Minister Amit Shah and nothing takes place without his consent… Those who deny to join their (BJP) ‘Bhajan Mandali’, do like this against them… What are they trying to show from all these… This incident will be written in the history and this step of the government will cost them,” Manoj Jha said.
Congress leader Pawan Khera called the police action, the Centre’s tactic of ‘distraction’.
“The early morning raids on contributing journalists at NewsClick comes as fresh distraction from the explosive findings of caste census in Bihar and the growing demand for caste census across the country. When he faces questions from out of syllabus, he resorts to the only counter he has in his predictable syllabus – DISTRACTION” the Congress leader posted on X.
The BJP said that the investigation against NewsClick was already underway and the police were acting according to the law.
“If an agency runs the agenda of China using their money, it should not be allowed. Investigations were already going on against them. They are using China’s money to promote China and defame India. Strict actions will be taken against all of them who are taking money from foreign countries and working against India,” said BJP leader RP Singh.
Earlier the Delhi police brought NewsClick editor Prabir Purkayastha and writers Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and Urmilesh to the special cell offices in the national capital. Laptops, mobiles, diaries, and other seized articles were also brought by police to the special cell.
The raids are being conducted on a case registered on August 17 under UAPA and other sections of IPC, which include UAPA, 153A of IPC (promoting enmity between two groups), and 120 B of IPC (criminal conspiracy).
Earlier on August 10 a report in the New York Times had alleged that NewsClick was part of a global network that receives funding from American billionaire Neville Roy Singham.
Singham is known as a socialist benefactor of far-left causes, is at the centre of a lavishly funded influence campaign that defends China and pushes its propaganda. Neville Roy Singham is said to have close ties to the Chinese government media machine. (ANI)
