In a shocking turn of events, the Indian police conducted raids on Tuesday at the residences of several journalists associated with the independent news portal NewsClick, seizing their laptops and phones. The operation is linked to a case involving alleged Chinese funding, as reported by India Today.
Officers from the Special Cell of the Delhi Police led the searches, alleging that the journalists connected to NewsClick had illicitly received funding from China to propagate the Chinese government’s agenda within India.
NewsClick is a news portal that covers a wide range of issues in India, including farmer protests, incidents of rape, violence against religious and ethnic minorities, and has often criticized the policies of the Modi-led government.
The homes of prominent figures, including NewsClick’s editor Prabir Purkayastha, journalists Abhisar Sharma, Aunindyo Chakravarty, and Bhasha Singh, satirist Sanjay Rajaura, and historian Sohail Hashmi, were targeted in a case registered on August 17 under various sections of the controversial Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. This law enables Indian authorities to label someone as a terrorist and detain them without presenting concrete evidence, making it difficult to obtain bail, and potentially leading to months or even years of detention without conviction.
Additionally, the case invokes Sections 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
The allegations of foreign funding stem from an investigation prompted by a New York Times report in early August, suggesting that NewsClick had received funding from a network connected to US millionaire Neville Roy Singham, residing in China, for the purpose of promoting Chinese propaganda. Indian media sources estimate that the news portal received approximately INR 380 million from China-linked entities.
This is not the first time that NewsClick has faced scrutiny, as in February 2021, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of India conducted searches at the news portal’s offices in a money laundering case. The ED asserted that foreign remittances totaling over INR 770 million had been received by NewsClick between 2018 and 2021.
In their latest investigation, Indian authorities claim to have discovered email exchanges between NewsClick Director Prabir Purkayastha, various journalists, and Neville Roy Singham, as well as interactions with Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders like Prakash Karat and rights activist Teesta Setalvad.
The authorities have also conducted searches at NewsClick’s office in Delhi. Reports suggest that Singham was closely associated with the “Chinese government media machine” and employed a network of non-profit organizations and shell companies to “finance its propaganda worldwide.”
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Indian government has investigated several media outlets for alleged financial misconduct and perceived threats to national sovereignty since 2014. Reporters Without Borders, an advocacy group for journalists, has ranked India at the 161st position in its press freedom rankings this year.
In a similar incident earlier this year, Indian tax authorities raided BBC’s New Delhi offices after the airing of a documentary on PM Modi’s actions during deadly sectarian riots in 2002.
Police sealed off the building, and officers were stationed outside to restrict access, confiscating phones and other materials.
As the situation continues to develop, concerns over press freedom and freedom of expression in India are rising, drawing international attention to these events.
