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New Delhi police raided the homes of more than 40 NewsClick journalists, contributors and support staff in a crackdown on the news site, which Indian officials say is a conduit for Chinese propaganda.
Several reporters and contributors to the site said police seized their phones and laptops in an operation early Tuesday that came amid rising tensions between China and India following a standoff along the Himalayan border. .
“Finally the last tweet from this phone,” Bhasha Singh, a contributor to the site, wrote on social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, adding that Delhi Police had Her mobile phone was confiscated.
“Delhi police came to my house,” posted Abhisar Sharma, another journalist associated with the site. “Take my laptop and my phone.”
Media advocacy groups said the raids showed a worsening climate for free speech under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but Indian officials said they were investigating the site’s alleged links to China.
“China paid so-called journalists to spread Chinese propaganda,” an Indian official told the Financial Times on condition of anonymity.
“At this stage, it is important to protect the evidence and trace it to its source,” including accessing electronic records stored on seized devices, “to prevent evidence tampering.”
A police spokesman told the Financial Times that “search, seizure and detention” had been carried out in connection with a terrorism prevention case, and that 46 suspects had been questioned and digital equipment and documents seized for examination. Two of the accused, Prabir Purkayastha and Amit Chakravarty, have been arrested, she said.
The Press Club of India said it was “deeply concerned” by the attack. “PCI stands with journalists and demands that the government release the details,” the group said.
India’s press freedom ranking has declined since Modi came to power in 2014. Reporters Without Borders ranked India 161st out of 180 countries in its latest World Press Freedom Index, down 11 spots from the previous year.
India’s opposition has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party government of targeting only “those media organizations and journalists who speak truth to power”. In its statement, the coalition pledged to support “constitutionally protected freedom of speech and expression.”
However, an Indian government official said the attack was “about India’s sovereignty, not freedom of expression.”
Modi’s government has taken a tough stance against Chinese companies and apps since deadly clashes in India’s northern Ladakh region in 2020 killed at least 24 soldiers, mostly Indians.
Beijing has since sealed off parts of the border and barred Indian patrols, while India has banned dozens of Chinese apps including TikTok, launched a tax investigation into Chinese mobile phone companies and introduced rules requiring China and other neighboring countries to The company’s investments are regulated. Government approval.
In 2021, India’s Enforcement Directorate raided the offices and residences of several officials and journalists associated with NewsClick as part of an investigation into its funding sources.
Attempts by the Financial Times to contact NewsClick were unsuccessful. NewsClick describes itself on its still-running website as “an independent media organization dedicated to reporting news from India and elsewhere, with a focus on progressive movements.”
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