New Delhi, Oct 4 : NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha, along with HR head Amit Chakravarty, was apprehended by the Delhi Police on charges filed under anti-terror legislation. These allegations suggest that the media outlet received funds for promoting pro-China propaganda. The police claim that Purkayastha conspired to advance a narrative declaring Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh as disputed territories. The Delhi Police Special Cell has made these assertions in their remand application.
According to the police, “Secret information has revealed that Purkayastha, Neville Roy Singham, and certain Chinese employees of Singham-owned Shanghai-based companies have exchanged emails indicating their intention to portray Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh as not part of India.” They further assert, “Such efforts by these individuals demonstrate a conspiracy to propagate a narrative, both internationally and domestically, that Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh are disputed regions. Their actions, attempting to alter India’s northern borders and depicting Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh as separate from India on maps, constitute actions aimed at undermining India’s unity and territorial integrity.”
Additionally, it has been revealed that Gautam Navlakha, a shareholder in NewsClick, was involved in activities against India, including supporting banned Naxal organizations and maintaining links with Gulam Nabi Fai, an agent of Pakistan’s ISI.
The police also allege that Purkayastha and his associates diverted foreign funds. According to the application, “The accused individuals have conspired to disrupt essential community services and supplies in India and promote damage and destruction of property by prolonging the farmers’ protests using illegal foreign funding.” The police further claim that a false narrative was spread to undermine the Indian government’s efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Furthermore, Purkayastha is accused of conspiring with the People’s Alliance for Democracy and Secularism to interfere with the electoral process during the 2019 general elections. It was also revealed that People’s Dispatch Portal, owned by NewsClick, was used to intentionally disseminate these false narratives through paid news, funded with illegally routed foreign funds as part of a conspiracy.
The police state that their analysis of emails demonstrates direct contact between Singham, Purkayastha, and Chakraborty, during which they discussed methods to create a map of India without Kashmir and depict Arunachal Pradesh as a disputed area. To accomplish this objective, the accused individuals allegedly received over Rs 115 crore under the guise of foreign funds.
In response to these allegations, a raid was conducted at 88 locations in Delhi and seven in other states, targeting individuals named in the FIR and identified during data analysis. The police have secured a seven-day custody of both accused individuals and have sealed NewsClick’s Delhi office. A total of 46 suspects were interrogated, and digital devices, including laptops and mobile phones, along with documents, were seized for further examination.
