In line with a complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on allegations of money laundering and posting pro-China propaganda on its platform, the Special Cell of the Delhi Police conducted raids on Tuesday at premises connected to the news organisation NewsClick.
The media outlet's offices and the homes of its staffers were raided in the Delhi-NCR region. The journalists' laptops were taken by the police, and they were also called in to assist with the investigation.
The ED is looking into NewsClick in a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case where the news organisation is charged with stealing Rs 38 crore from a Chinese person and using it to publish "pro-China propaganda" in India.
According to sources, Abhisar Sharma of NewsClick is one among the journalists being searched by the Delhi Police, yet Sharma reported about it on X. Police from Delhi arrived at my house. removing my phone and laptop," he posted on X.
"Finally last tweet from this phone," Bhasha Singh, another NewsClick journalist, posted on X. My phone was seized by Delhi police.
According to a New York Times article published on August 5 with the headline "A Global Web of Chinese Propaganda Leads to a US Tech Mogul," NewsClick is a part of a global network that receives funding from American millionaire Neville Roy Singham, who allegedly collaborates closely with the propaganda apparatus of the Chinese government. "Corporate filings indicate that Singham's network supported NewsClick, a news outlet in New Delhi that infused talking points from the Chinese government into its reporting. One video stated that "China's history continues to inspire the working classes."
The news website released a statement on August 7 in response to the study, claiming that the accusations made against it "by certain political actors and sections of the media are unfounded and without basis in fact or law."
The NYT investigation exposed how China funded influence campaigns, media outlets, and shell corporations to spread its propaganda. It also revealed how Singham supported NewsClick, which also participated in the Chinese propaganda.
On August 10, the ED filed a petition with the Delhi High Court asking for the temporary injunction prohibiting coercive action against NewsClick to be vacated.
According to the agency, the news portal requested the quashing of the ECIR, which is an internal document and isn't even statutory as stated by the Supreme Court in Vijay Madanlal Choudhary & Ors. vs Union of India & Ors., in the petition in which the interim order was made.
The federal agency stated that additional information has come to light as a result of further investigation into the matter, which reveals the commission of both a scheduled offence and the crime of money laundering, both of which have been disclosed to the predicate agency via an appropriate communication pursuant to Section 66(2) of the PMLA.
The media platform known as NewsClick was established in 2009 by Prabir Purkayastha, who also serves as the company's Editor-in-Chief. Owned by PPK NEWSCLICK Studio Private Limited, the online news portal covers both domestic and foreign news.
The news website asserts that it focuses on "progressive movements" and covers "diverse people's movements and struggles."
The ED earlier conducted a raid on the news website's New Delhi office in 2021.
On the basis of significant evidence of money laundering, the federal agency launched an investigation into the website. The promoter of the company, Prabir Purkayastha, lived on the PPK premises, which were searched at 10 different locations over the course of five days.
The ED claimed to have received 38 crores in dubious international remittances. The remaining amount, Rs. 28.29 crore, was reported to have been received as proceeds for "export of services." These remittances were categorised as FDI in the amount of Rs. 9.59 crore as of April 2018. Additionally, the money was sent to a number of questionable journalists, including Teestha Setalvad's colleagues and Gautam Navlakha.
NewsClick asserted in August of this year that it is an independent news organisation and that it is untrue to suggest that it serves as a "mouthpiece of the Communist Party of China or other interests."
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