NewsClick peddled false narratives through paid news in lieu of crores of illegally routed foreign funds: Delhi Police

The Delhi Police’s Special Cell, in its FIR against NewsClick founder and Editor-in-Chief Prabir Purkayastha, stated that People’s Dispatch Portal, owned and maintained by PPK Newsclick Studio Pvt. Ltd. has been used for intentionally peddling false narratives through paid news in lieu of crores of rupees of illegally routed foreign funds as part of a conspiracy. It is further learnt that foreign funds include those from big Chinese Telecom companies such as Xiaomi and Vivo, among others. “Foreign funds in crores have been infused illegally in India by Indian and Foreign entities inimical to India in pursuance of conspiracy with the intention to disrupt the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India, to cause disaffection against India and to threaten the unity, integrity, and security of India,” Delhi Police stated in the FIR. Delhi Police through a remand application on Wednesday alleged that NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha conspired to peddle the narrative that Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh are disputed territories with the help of a Shanghai-based company. Delhi Police informed the court through the remand application that secret inputs revealed that Prabir Purkayastha, Neville Roy Singham (said to be an active member of the Propaganda Department of the Communist Party of China) and some other Chinese employees of Neville Roy Singham-owned Shanghai-based Company by the name of StarStream have exchanged emails which expose their intent to show Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh as not part of India. The remand plea further stated that such attempts by these persons reveal their conspiracy to peddle a narrative, both globally and domestically, that Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh are disputed territories. “Their attempts to tinker with the northern borders of India and to show Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh as not parts of India in maps amount to an act intended towards undermining the unity and territorial integrity of India,” Delhi Police stated. The accused persons also conspired to disrupt supplies and services essential to the life and abet damage and destruction of property by protraction of farmers’ protests through such illegal foreign funding, they added. Meanwhile, Purkayastha on Friday moved the Delhi High Court seeking the quashing of FIR registered against him and others. His plea also challenged a trial court order granting remand to him and HR Head Amit Chakravarty in the matter. On Thursday, Patiala House Court of Delhi allowed a plea moved by Prabir Purkayastha and Amit Chakravarty for the supply of a copy of FIR to them. Since April 2018, such fraudulent funds in crores of rupees have been received by PPK Newsclick Studio Pvt. Ltd through illegal means during a short span of five years from Worldwide Media Holdings LLC, USA and others, the remand report stated. “Such foreign funds have been fraudulently infused by one Neville Roy Singham through a complex web of several entities including Worldwide Media Holdings (incorporated by Jason Pfetcher, a close associate of Neville Roy Singham, People Support foundation (Jodie Evans, wife of Neville Roy Singham being director), Justice and Education Fund, GSPAN LLC (owned by Neville Roy Singham), The Tricontinental Ltd Inc US, Centro Popular De Midas, Brazil,” it added. It was learnt that both Tricontinental India Pvt Ltd and GSPAN India Pvt Ltd were incorporated by The Tricontinental Ltd, USA and GSPAN LLC USA respectively to infuse funds in India by circumventing the existing rules for receipt of foreign funds by NGOs. Further, it is learnt that Gautam Navlakha who has been a shareholder in PPK Newsclick Studio Pvt Ltd since its inception in the year 2018, remained involved in anti-Indian and unlawful activities such as actively supporting banned Naxal organisations and having anti-national nexus with Gulam Nabi Fai who is an agent of ISI of Pakistan. It was also learnt that Gautam Navlakha has been associated with Prabir Purkayastha since 1991 when they incorporated Sagrik Process Analyst Pvt Ltd, stated Delhi Police.