The Congress party has slammed the Delhi Police for conducting raids on the premises of news portal NewsClick and its journalists on Tuesday, calling it a mere “distraction” from the “explosive” findings of the Bihar caste-based survey that was released on Monday. The party further accused the BJP-led central government of trying to “muzzle” the independent media and suppress ‘dissent’.
The Delhi Police’s Special Cell raided over 30 locations in Delhi-NCR, including the homes and offices of NewsClick editor Prabir Purkayastha, journalists Abhisar Sharma, Aunindyo Chakravarty, Bhasha Singh, Sanjay Rajaura and Sohail Hashmi. The police also seized their mobile phones and laptops and took some of them to police stations for questioning.
The raids are reportedly related to a case registered against NewsClick in August for allegedly receiving dubious funds from abroad to spread Chinese propaganda. The case was based on a report by the New York Times that claimed that NewsClick had received funds from an American millionaire who had links with the Chinese government media. The police have invoked the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), a draconian anti-terrorism law, against the website and its journalists.
NewsClick has strongly denied all the allegations and said that it has complied with all the legal requirements and regulations regarding its funding and operations. The website has also said that it is being targeted for its critical reporting on various issues, such as the farmers’ protests, the Covid-19 pandemic, the economic crisis and the human rights violations in India.
The Congress party has come out in support of NewsClick and its journalists and said that the raids are a part of a “witch-hunt” by the Modi government against the independent media. The party has also linked the raids to the release of the Bihar caste-based survey, which showed that the backward classes constitute 63% of the state’s population, while the upper castes account for only 10.6%. The party has said that the survey has exposed the BJP’s false claims of being a party of social justice and development.
“The BJP is rattled by the explosive findings of the Bihar caste-based survey. The survey has revealed that the BJP’s core vote bank of upper castes is only 10.6% in Bihar, while its alliance partners like JDU and LJP have lost their relevance among the backward classes. The BJP is afraid that this survey will have a ripple effect in other states as well and dent its electoral prospects in 2024,” Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said.
He added, “The raids on NewsClick and its journalists are nothing but a diversionary tactic by the BJP to distract the public from its failures and misdeeds. The BJP is using its agencies like CBI, ED and Delhi Police to harass and intimidate the independent media and silence their criticism.
According to news reports, Union information and broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur, when asked about the raids, said “The probe agencies are independent and they are doing their jobs by following rules…I don’t need to justify the raids. If someone has done something wrong, the probe agencies do their job. It’s nowhere written that probe agencies can’t take action if money has come to you from wrong sources or something objectionable has been done.” Meanwhile, the Press Club of India has registered concern at the raids and noted that it will be releasing a detailed statement.
