Indian Police Conduct Sweeping Media Raids, Arrest Two

During media raids in India, anti-terror police have made two arrests. They’re connected to a news website. Simultaneously, they conducted raids at the homes of 44 other individuals. EWN reports that these actions have raised serious concerns about the state of media freedom in the country.

The targets of these early morning raids are reportedly affiliated with NewsClick, an English-language news site. Indian authorities lodged a case against it in 2021, alleging the reception of foreign funding.

An August report by The New York Times revealed that NewsClick had received financial support from US millionaire Neville Roy Singham. This report also claimed that the website included Chinese government talking points in its coverage. Singham vehemently denied these allegations and faced accusations of closely collaborating with Beijing while financing its global propaganda efforts.

Adding complexity to this situation is the longstanding border dispute and a fatal Himalayan clash in 2020 between India and China, further straining their relations.

Police interrogated 37 men and 9 women during the raids. Two individuals were arrested as part of the operation. Digital devices and documents were seized during the raids. The reasons for the operation were not disclosed.

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The police confirmed that the raids were according to the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. This act is an exceedingly stringent anti-terror law that virtually precludes obtaining bail.

The police statement stated, “The proceedings are still ongoing. So far, two accused, Prabir Purkayastha and Amit Chakravarty, have been arrested.”

Prabir Purkayastha serves as the editor of NewsClick. At the same time, Amit Chakravarty holds the position of the site’s head of human resources.

Journalist Aritry Das, affiliated with NewsClick, posted on social media that police officers “barged into my home” at dawn. They questioned her about her reporting and confiscated her laptop, phone, and computer hard disks.

Historian and activist Sohail Hashmi, connected to NewsClick, was also targeted in the raids. Hashmi surrendered his laptop, phone, and hard disks. They contained more than ten years’ worth of his work. He saw the operation as a combination of intimidation and a crackdown on freedom of the press and speech.

The Mumbai Press Club expressed “deep concern” about the raids, stating that “multiple journalists affiliated with NewsClick have been subjected to raids.” They called on the police to cease what appears to be a targeted harassment campaign.

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The Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur, defended the operation. He stated, “If anyone has committed anything wrong, search agencies are free to carry out investigations.”

Rights activists and opposition lawmakers claim press freedom has steadily declined since Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office in 2014. Reporters Without Borders has declared that “press freedom is in crisis” in India. The nation’s media freedom rankings have dropped from 140th to 161st since 2014, including an 11-place decrease last year.

Critics of the government contend that journalists critical of the authorities experience harassment. Modi’s administration has faced accusations of pressuring rights groups by scrutinising their finances and curtailing foreign funding.

The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the raids as “an act of sheer harassment and intimidation.”

Previously, the US has been deepening its ties with India despite concerns about democratic regression. However, it has called for respect for media freedom. But it refrained from commenting on reports of NewsClick’s associations with China.

On Tuesday evening, journalist Abhisar Sharma reported returning home after “a day-long interrogation” by the police. He pledged to persist in questioning those in positions of power, particularly those “who are afraid of simple questions.”

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Picture: Unsplash /Naveed Ahmed

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