New Delhi: Journalist and NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha has been arrested under the anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, days after a report published in the New York Times alleged that the news portal had received funding from a network pushing Chinese propaganda.
HR head of the news portal, Amit Chakravarty, has also been arrested.
Earlier in the day, searches at the homes of journalists linked with NewsClick were carried out at 20-odd locations across Delhi-NCR and Mumbai.
The raids prompted protests from the opposition, with some calling it a crackdown on press freedom.
According to the Delhi Police, NewsClick allegedly received nearly Rs. 38 crore from entities with alleged links to China, and the funds were used to influence pro-China content on the website.
Hours after the raids, the Editors Guild of India, the non-profit organisation of journalists, urged the Centre to follow due process, and not make draconian criminal laws as tools for press intimidation.
EGI is concerned that these raids are yet another attempt to muzzle the media. While we recognise that the law must take its course if actual offences are involved, the due process has to be followed. The investigation of specific offences must not create a general atmosphere of intimidation under the shadow of draconian laws, or impinge on the freedom of expression and the raising of dissenting and critical voices, the Editors Guild said in a statement.
