Newsclick founder Prabir Purkaystha arrested under UAPA after day-long raids

Prabir Purkayastha has been arrested under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) as the news portal allegedly had received funding from a network pushing Chinese propaganda.

New Delhi: Newsclick founder Prabir Purkayastha was arrested in connection with the probe into the portal's foreign funding, Delhi Police said on Tuesday evening after the raids carried out on the homes of several journalists earlier in the day. He has been arrested under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) as the news portal allegedly had received funding from a network pushing Chinese propaganda.

A Delhi Police official said that 46 suspects were questioned during the dates and digital devices, and documents have been seized for examination. Delhi Police searched 30 locations connected with the online news portal and its journalists in a case filed under the anti-terror law. Officials said the proceedings are still underway.

They said 37 male suspects were questioned at the office of Delhi Police Special Cell, while nine female suspects were quizzed at their respective places of stay. So far, two accused -- NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha and Amit Chakravarty -- have been arrested, Delhi Police spokesperson Suman Nalwa said.

There was no immediate information on how Chakravarty is connected with the portal and the case. Among those questioned were journalists Urmilesh, Aunindyo Chakravarty, Abhisar Sharma, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta as well as historian Sohail Hashmi and D Raghunandan of the Centre for Technology & Development.

Police posed a list of 25 questions on various issues, including their foreign travels, protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Shaheen Bagh as well as the farmers' agitation, PTI reported quoting sources. Those being questioned have been divided into three categories, A, B and C, sources said.

Addressing a gathering in Bhubaneswar, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said probe agencies in the country are independent and work in accordance with law. "... If someone has done something wrong, probe agencies work on it... Nowhere is it written that if you have got money through illegal manner or done something objectionable, then probe agencies cannot investigate that," Thakur said.

The Enforcement Directorate had earlier conducted raids at the firm's premises to probe its sources of funding. The Special Cell is now continuing the searches on the basis of inputs provided by the central agency, officials said. The Special Cell has registered a new case under the anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and started an investigation, they said.