Delhi Police Raids Journalists' Homes Amid Allegations Of Illegal Foreign Funding
On an early Tuesday morning, the Delhi Police Special Cell conducted raids at the residences of seven journalists in the city. During these operations, they confiscated laptops and mobile phones from the journalists, all in connection with an alleged case of illegal foreign funding. It is worth noting that most of these journalists are affiliated with the news portal known as NewsClick. Additionally, a fresh case has been registered against NewsClick under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, also known as UAPA.
Among those affected by the raids was Abhisar Sharma, a journalist, who took to the platform 'X' to share his experience, stating that the Delhi police had arrived at his residence and taken away his laptop and phone.
In response to these actions, the Press Club of India expressed its concerns about the ongoing series of raids on the homes of NewsClick journalists. They announced their intent to closely monitor developments and promised to issue a comprehensive statement regarding the situation on the 'X' platform.
Meanwhile, in another part of the country, beneficiaries of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) from West Bengal are planning to participate in a protest led by Abhishek Banerjee, the national general secretary of the All India Trinamool Congress. This protest is aimed at addressing allegations of withheld funds for MGNREGA workers and is scheduled to take place at Jantar Mantar.
In unrelated news, the Graded Response Action Plan, a set of measures designed to combat air pollution implemented by the central government, came into effect in the Delhi-NCR region during the winter season. These new measures include stringent restrictions on the operation of aging vehicles and a complete ban on the use of coal and firewood in eateries, restaurants, and hotels when the Air Quality Index (AQI) exceeds 200. Additionally, Delhi's Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, has emphasized the need for a coordinated approach with neighboring states like Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh to address the issue of air pollution in the national capital during the winter. He has announced a 15-point 'winter action plan' for this purpose.
It's worth mentioning that in August of the current year, The New York Times (NYT) made allegations that NewsClick, an Indian news portal, received funding from a network associated with US millionaire Neville Roy Singham to promote Chinese propaganda.
The Enforcement Directorate, India's anti-money laundering agency, had previously conducted raids at NewsClick's premises to investigate its sources of funding. In February 2021, they conducted search and seizure operations at NewsClick and the homes of its editors in connection with a case of alleged money laundering. The case was based on an FIR filed by the Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing. The investigation revealed that NewsClick had received foreign remittances amounting to over ₹77 crore between 2018 and 2021. These funds were allegedly received in the form of subscriptions to shares of PPK Newsclick Studio, the owner of the news portal, and for certain services. The remittances were traced to companies such as Worldwide Media Holdings LLC, Delaware; Justice & Education Fund Inc; Tricontinental Ltd Inc, USA; GSPAN LLC, USA; and Centro Popular De Midas, Brazil, all of which were said to be linked to Neville Roy Singham.
The Enforcement Directorate also claimed to have found an email from Singham to NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha and Tricontinental executive director Vijay Prashad, among others, dated January 26, 2020, discussing the subtitling of a Chinese propaganda film.
In response to these allegations, Singham vehemently denied any wrongdoing and denied any affiliation or influence from political parties or governments, stating that he is guided solely by his personal beliefs. NYT's report, however, accused Singham of working closely with the Chinese government's media apparatus and financing its propaganda efforts.