NewsClick denies Delhi Police’s ‘China’ charge, calls it ‘bogus, untenable’

The NewsClick portal has denied the Delhi Police’s allegation that it accepted money from China to disrupt India’s sovereignty, claiming that the actions taken against it were a “blatant attempt to muzzle” the country’s free press. It called the FIR, which claimed that the portal was attempting to trigger disaffection against the country, as “untenable and bogus”.

According to the police’s FIR, an active member of the Chinese Communist Party named Neville Roy Singham was responsible for bringing the foreign fund into the company’s coffers.

On Friday night, Newsclick said in a statement that it had never committed or attempted to encourage violence, secession, or any other illegal activity. “The allegations in the FIR, apart from being ex facie untenable and bogus, have been made time and again in investigations by three government agencies – the Enforcement Directorate, the Economic Offences Wing, Delhi Police, and the income tax department,” it said.

This statement from NewsClick came after police arrested the portal’s founder and editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha and HR Director Amit Chakravarty, hours after raiding 88 locations allegedly linked to the media portal and journalists.

It said the latest FIR against the company was aimed at carrying out “illegal arrests” under the UAPA Act, which it described as draconian.

The Delhi Police registered an FIR under sections 13, 16,17, 18, and 22C of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and 153A and 120B of the IPC.

The police are expected to question ten people, including senior journalists, on Monday.

(With PTI inputs)

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