On Tuesday, the Delhi Police's Special Cell conducted raids at the residences of multiple journalists and employees affiliated with the online portal NewsClick in connection with a case filed under India's stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), which is the nation's anti-terrorism legislation.
These raids were carried out following allegations that NewsClick had received financial support from a network involved in promoting Chinese propaganda. Previously, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had initiated a case against the news portal, accusing it of accepting foreign funding in violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).
The Delhi Police's Special Cell executed these searches at more than 100 locations in Delhi and the adjacent regions of Noida and Ghaziabad, based on the UAPA case filed on August 17. Here is a recap of the case in 10 points:
1. A list containing the names of individuals to be targeted in the raids was compiled, and they were categorized into three groups: A, B, and C. Individuals belonging to category A were detained.
2. During the search operation, law enforcement authorities seized electronic evidence, including laptops and mobile phones, and conducted data extractions from hard drives. These searches were prompted by information provided by the ED, which suggested potential unlawful activities by the individuals under investigation.
3. An inquiry uncovered an alleged fraudulent inflow of foreign funds amounting to Rs 38.05 crore within a brief period of three years.
4. An analysis of the evidence revealed questionable receipt of foreign funds: Rs 9.59 crore through Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Rs 28.46 crore through the export of services.
5. The funds in question were purportedly disbursed to various controversial journalists, including Gautam Navlakha and associates of human rights activist Teesta Setalvad.
6. In connection with the NewsClick case, the Delhi Police also conducted a search at the official residence of Sitaram Yechury, General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)]. Shree Narayan, the son of a CPM employee, is employed at the online portal.
7. The Enforcement Directorate shared information regarding NewsClick's alleged links to China with the Delhi Police.
8. NewsClick's founder and Editor-in-Chief, Prabir Purkayastha, was brought to the Delhi Police Special Cell office for questioning.
9. These raids prompted reactions from opposition parties and the Press Club of India, which expressed deep concerns about the searches conducted at the residences of journalists and writers associated with NewsClick.
10. Congress leader Pawan Khera characterized the raids as a "distraction" from the release of data related to the Bihar caste census. Union Minister Anurag Thakur, when asked about the NewsClick raids, asserted that probe agencies were free to carry out searches if "anyone has committed anything wrong," and he stated that he did not need to justify the raids.
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