With a massive operation involving raids, searches, interrogation, detention and arrest of journalists, technicians, and consultants connected with Newsclick, a news portal that covered people-centered news, the Special Cell of Delhi police has overnight converted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Mother of Democracy” into a “Graveyard of Democracy”. The portal, in a short period, has become one of the most important voices that raised people’s issues.  

On 3rd October 2023, the Special Cell of Delhi Police arrested the founder Editor of Newsclick, Prabir Purkayastha, and the head of its Human Resources Department, Amit Chakraborty, under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (1967).

This is not the first time 76-year-old Prabir is being arrested by the Delhi Police. In 1975 during Mrs. Indira Gandhi’s infamous emergency, Prabir, at that time a student at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, was arrested and had served a long jail sentence. But in 1975 he was held under lawful suspension of law under which even the fundamental right to life was not guaranteed.

The ground reality is very different and even more frightening today. In February 2021, the Enforcement Directorate had raided the offices of Newsclick and the home of Prabir. He was confined to his house for five days. The police could not arrest him under ordinary laws because the Delhi High Court in its wisdom ruled agisnt any coercive action against him.  

Therefore, the Delhi Police chose UAPA route to incarcerate him and his polio survivor colleague Amit Chakraborty. Not only the two have been arrested, the Newsclick office in Delhi has been sealed so that the operations of the news portal come to a stop. 

The First Information Report (FIR) in the case has been filed under various sections of the UAPA: Section 13 (unlawful activities); 16 (terrorist act); 17 (raising funds for terrorist acts); 18 (conspiracy); 22 (C) (offences by companies and trusts) along with IPC section 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy).

The searches across Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Ghaziabad and even Mumbai began early morning on October 3 and continued for several hours. Several journalists and contributors and consultants associated with the Newsclick currently or in the past were searched and interrogated, some at the special cell and others in their homes.

As many as 37 men and 9 women have been questioned by the police and their phones, laptops, and electronic devices seized. All these were done following registration of cases under UAPA against Newsclick accusing it of purportedly carrying out Chinese propaganda on its website. In this context, the Newsclick has challenged the Modi government to point out any report on its website which even remotely could be qualified to be Chinese propaganda.

Among those who were detained or questioned are Abhisar Sharma, Basha Singh, Urmilesh, Aunindy Chakravarty, Paranjoy Guha Takurta, Satyam Tewari, Subodh Verma, cartoonist Irfan, historian Sohail Hashmi and satirist Sanjay Rajoura. 

In Mumbai Teesta Setalvad’s home and office were also raided. All these actions were carried out by the Delhi police for the cases registered under the UAPA. In other words when the ED was unable to find any wrongdoing by the Newsclick, the special cell of the   Delhi Police resorted to a totally arbitrary and unconstitutional method under UAPA to arrest them. 

Strangely the NDA government, which as a rule rejected any report concerning India appearing in foreign newspapers, took very serious note of a vague report on August 9 in the New York Times alleging that Newsclick was among the organisations funded by a network tied to Nevel Roy Singham pushing Chinese propaganda across the world.

And the Modi Government and the Delhi police have concluded that for a change the New York Times report is gospel truth and used it to charge the Newsclick editor and manger under various sections of the stringent UAPA. 

However, from the questions asked to those whose premises have been searched it is very clear that the government is concerned about the manner in which Newsclick covered recent events in India. The questions make it clear that the government is upset and angry about the manner in which Newsclick covered the prolonged farmers’ agitation against the arbitrary farm laws, the CAA protests in North East Delhi and riots which targeted the Muslim community and the disastrous government response to the Covid 19 pandemic.

The National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled has condemned the arrest of Amit Chakraborty who is a polio survivor, a person with disability and who uses crutches. As a person with disability, he has a right to be protected from inhuman treatment and torture.

Muralidharan, general secretary of the National Platform, said until he is released, he should be lodged in facilities that takes care of his accessibility needs. Also, his other needs as disabled person should be complied with, the Rights Forum noted.

Following the raids and arrests, Newsclick, in a statement, said it had 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,” it said.