- Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Investigations are reportedly underway into allegations that NewsClick, a news website, received illegal funds from China.
By: Shubham Ghosh
THE Indian capital on Tuesday (3) witnessed a major police mission conducting raids at homes of several prominent journalists and authors in connection with a probe into the financial backing of news website NewsClick.
According to reports, police officers seized mobile phones and laptops during the raid.
Investigations are reportedly underway into allegations that NewsClick received illegal funds from China, India’s northern neighbour with which it doesn’t have a smooth relation. The news outlet denies such charges.
Critics have slammed the move calling it an intentional attack on the freedom of the press.
NewsClick, an independent news and current affairs website, is known to be critical of the Indian government. Two years ago, the website, founded in 2009, was raided by tax officials over allegations that it violated the country’s foreign direct investment norms.
Some of the journalists who were reportedly raided are the website’s editor Prabir Purkayastha, Abhisar Sharma, Bhasha Singh, among others. Popular satirist Sanjay Rajoura and historian Sohail Hashmi were also among those reportedly raided. Some of them were taken to the police station for interrogation.
The police did not issue any statement on the raids but some of the journalists raided confirmed the development on X, formerly Twitter.
Delhi police landed at my home. Taking away my laptop and Phone…
— Abhisar Sharma (@abhisar_sharma) October 3, 2023
Finally last tweet from this phone. Delhi police seizure my phone.
— bhasha singh (@Bhashak) October 3, 2023
Searches were also taking place at the website’s office in Delhi, Asian News International reported.
Suman Nalwa, spokesperson of the Delhi Police, refused to make a comment on the BBC’s request and said they would “share the details” when they get them.
Reports said that the raids were conducted in relation to a case registered against NewsClick in August after the New York Times alleged that the website had got funds from a US millionaire to spread Beijing’s “propaganda”.
It said Neville Roy Singham, an American businessman of Sri Lankan-Cuban descent, worked closely with the “Chinese government media machine” and used his network comprising non-profit groups and shell firms to financially support its propaganda across the world.
A case was reportedly registered on August 17 against NewsClick which called the charges as false.
Earlier this year, Indian tax officials carried out searches at the BBC’s offices in New Delhi and Mumbai and questioned its staff members about the organisation’s business operations in India. The development had come weeks after the UK broadcaster aired a documentary series critical of prime minister Narendra Modi’s role in the 2002 riots in his home state Gujarat. Modi was the chief minister of the state then.
Tax authorities also accused India’s Dainik Bhaskar daily of evading tax in 2021 after its critical coverage of the Modi government’s handling of the devastating Covid-19 pandemic.
Reporters Without Borders, a journalists’ advocacy group, placed India at the 161st place (out of 180) in its press freedom rankings this year. Countries such as Pakistan (150) and Afghanistan (152) were placed higher than India which fell 11 places compared to the previous year.
