NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha’s many brushes with the law

For the staff of news portal NewsClick, Tuesday (3 October), was a tough day at the office. The Delhi Police carried out raids at 35 locations linked to the news portal, including houses of journalists, and at the end of the day arrested founder and editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha. In addition, human resources head Amit Chakravarty was also taken in by the cops. The duo from NewsClick have been arrested under the stringent sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act – the Delhi Police’s FIR mentions Sections 13 (unlawful activities), 16 (terrorist act), 17 (raising funds for terrorist acts), 18 (conspiracy) and 22 (C) (offences by companies) of the UAPA as well as Indian Penal Code Sections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) for allegedly receiving funding from China. But who exactly is Prabir Purkayastha? What do we know about him and what has the investigation revealed so far? Prabir Purkayastha’s work Born in 1949, Purkayastha is a renowned journalist and has been an influential figure in the news industry and is known for his commitment to science and the free software movement. An engineer, the septuagenarian journalist has been a tireless supporter of scientific causes in the fields of software, telecom, and electricity. During Emergency, he was arrested and in jail for one year. When asked about it, he had told Caravan that he had been arrested opposing the expulsion of a student. His tenure in jail was split between Tihar and Agra; in the former, he was in the same ward as Arun Jaitley and Nanaji Deshmukh. He co-wrote the informative book Enron Blowout: Corporate Capitalism and the Appropriation of the Global Commons (LeftWord 2002) with Vijay Prashad, delving into the realms of corporate capitalism and the appropriation of global resources. In 2009, he founded the news website NewsClick, which is described as an independent media organisation dedicated to covering news from India and elsewhere with a focus on progressive movements. [caption id=“attachment_13200612” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Security officers carry boxes of material confiscated after a raid at the office of NewsClick in New Delhi. Critics have described the raids as an attack on India’s independent news. AP[/caption] Under the scanner Purkayastha’s arrest on Tuesday isn’t his first encounter with the police. In 2021, the Economic Offenses Wing of Delhi Police had started an investigation against NewsClick and its founder over suspicious foreign funding. On 9 February of that year, in fact, the Enforcement Directorate had raided the residence of several officials and journalists associated with NewsClick, including that of Purkayastha. Following the raid – it continued on for 113 hours and ended on 14 February – the authorities alleged that Purkayastha received foreign remittances amounting to Rs 38 crores. These remittances were classified as FDI of Rs 9.59 crore from April 2018, and remaining Rs 28.29 crore. They also claimed that PPK Newsclick Studio Private Limited, which owns NewsClick, overvalued its shares to escape the 26 per cent limit on Foreign Direct Investment for news websites. There were also questions raised about funds being given to Gautam Navlakha, who is under house arrest in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case. When asked about it, Purkayastha had told Caravan: “Why was he in NewsClick? He is a journalist and has a distinguished career in journalism. Having a belief is a fundamental right. But that does not mean that if a person may have a certain belief, he should not be allowed to work.” However, in August of this year, he and NewsClick became the headlines when a New York Times investigative report said that the news portal was part of a worldwide network that obtained financial backing from American tycoon Neville Roy Singham . Singham purportedly is a part of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and pushes its propaganda throughout the world. According to Open magazine, in March 2020, Singham introduced Purkayastha, Srujana, Prasanth and Vijay Prashad to his Chinese contacts. Their mail trail reveals that there was discussion on a three-article series on China and its handling of the COVID-19 virus. In another mail, as reported by Open, Singham wrote to his Chinese contact, one Xiong Jie in which Purkayastha is marked. There he says: “I think we missed the dotted line between India and China to the left (east of Bhutan).” Responding to the report, NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha had told The Indian Express: “These are not new allegations. They have been made in the past. We will respond to them in the appropriate forum, ie the court, as the matter is sub judice.” [caption id=“attachment_13200632” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Media personnel report standing outside the Delhi Police’s Special Cell in New Delhi after the authorities carried out raids at 35 locations. AP[/caption] The raids and eventual arrest On Tuesday, Delhi Police swooped down on various locations and carried out raids at the houses of journalists linked to NewsClick as well as the office premise in the Capital. Speaking on the same, Special Cell, DCP (PRO) Suman Nalwa said, “Regarding the search, seizure and detentions carried out today in connection with a UAPA case… a total of 37 male suspects have been questioned at premises, and nine female suspects have been questioned at their respective places of stay and digital devices, documents etc have been seized and collected for examination.” Also read: What is the China funding row, linked to the NewsClick raids? The Wire reported that a team of about 15 people reached Purkayastha’s house between 6.30 and 7 am on Tuesday and seized all electronic devices in the house, including those belonging to his partner, writer Githa Hariharan. It was further reported that they weren’t provided any paperwork on the seizure – mandated by the law. Purkayastha was then taken to the NewsClick office and later to the Special Cell headquarters, where was arrested. Officials on Wednesday (4 October) announced that the journalist and his HR head, Amit Chakravarty , have now been sent to seven days of police remand. With inputs from agencies