A day after NewsClick‘s founder and editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha and HR head Amit Chakraborty were arrested under the draconian UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) law by the Delhi Police, the online media organisation, on Wednesday, October 4, issued a statement strongly condemning the Union government’s refusal to respect journalistic independence.
“Several persons were questioned and continue to be questioned. We have not been provided with a copy of the FIR, or informed about the exact particulars of the offences with which we have been charged. Electronic devices were seized from the Newsclick premises and homes of employees, without any adherence to due process such as the provision of seizure memos, hash values of the seized data, or even copies of the data. Newsclick’s office has also been sealed in a blatant attempt at preventing us from continuing our reporting,” said the statement.
It further remarked that the Delhi Police Special Cell’s interrogation on the reportage on the Delhi riots, the farmer’s protests etc. was motivated and malicious intent.
Pointing that the organisation have been on several Central investigation agencies’ radar since 2021, it said, “In the last two-plus years, the Enforcement Directorate has not been able to file a complaint accusing Newsclick of money laundering. The Economic Offences Wing of Delhi Police has not been able to file a charge sheet against Newsclick for offences under the Indian Penal Code. The Income Tax Department has not been able to defend its actions before the Courts of law.”
“Yet, a Government that has not been able to substantiate any charges against Newsclick despite being in possession of all its information, documentation and communications, needed a motivated and bogus article published in the New York Times to invoke the draconian UAPA and attempt to shut down and stifle independent and fearless voices that portray the story of the real India – of peasants, of labourers, of farmers, and other oft-ignored sections of society,” the statement said.
The organisation stressed that it neither propagated any Chinese information or news on its website nor was it linked in any form to US tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham.
“We have full faith in the Courts and the judicial process. We will fight for our journalistic freedom and our lives in accordance with the Constitution of India,” the statement said.
