Delhi Police Files UAPA FIR Against NewsClick Alleging Foreign Funds from China for Disruptive Activities

Update Now,August 31, 2023: The Delhi Police have taken significant steps in the investigation into online news portal NewsClick, registering an FIR under the stringent anti-terror law, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The FIR alleges that NewsClick received substantial funds from China with the intent to “disrupt the sovereignty of India” and foster disaffection against the country.

The FIR further asserts that Prabir Purkayastha, the founder and editor-in-chief of NewsClick, conspired with a group named People’s Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS), which includes PADS convenor Battini Rao, historian Dilip Simeon, social activist Deepak Dholakia, director of Delhi-based NGO Aman Trust Jamal Kidwai, journalist Kiran Shaheen, among others. The alleged conspiracy was to undermine the electoral process during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

According to the police, these foreign funds were surreptitiously introduced into India by Neville Roy Singham, an active member of the propaganda department of the Communist Party of China. The Delhi Police handed a copy of the FIR to NewsClick following a court directive. The FIR also implicates Chinese telecom giants like Xiaomi and Vivo, alleging their involvement in incorporating numerous shell companies in India in violation of financial regulations to illegally infuse foreign funds in furtherance of the alleged conspiracy.

The FIR states, “In furtherance of this conspiracy to disrupt the sovereignty of India and cause disaffection against India, a large amount of funds was routed from China in a circuitous and camouflaged manner, and paid news was intentionally peddled, criticizing domestic policies and development projects of India while promoting, projecting, and defending policies and programs of the Chinese government.”

The FIR additionally claims that these foreign funds were distributed to various individuals, including activist Gautam Navlakha and associates of activists Teesta Seetalvad and Javed Anand, as well as journalists Urmilesh, Aratrika Halder, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, and Abhisar Sharma, among others.

Gautam Navlakha, who is currently under house arrest in connection with the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, is stated to have been associated with Prabir Purkayasta since 1991 and is a shareholder of PPK NewsClick Studio Private Limited since 2018, according to the FIR.

The FIR goes on to reveal alleged exchanges of emails between Prabir, Neville, and others which, according to the police, expose their intent to challenge India’s sovereignty in regions like Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh. Furthermore, it claims that a false narrative was propagated to discredit India’s efforts in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

In light of these developments, Prabir Purkayastha and Amit Chakravarty, the head of the human resources department at NewsClick, were arrested under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Indian Penal Code earlier this week.

This case has seen extensive investigations and questioning of 46 individuals, including prominent journalists such as Urmilesh and Abhisar Sharma. Raids were also conducted at 88 locations in Delhi and seven in other states on those named in the FIR, marking a significant development in the ongoing investigation.