During the ongoing investigation into the NewsClick case, startling testimonies have emerged from witnesses who formerly worked with the media portal. These revelations shed light on alleged efforts to incite violence and unrest among certain communities.
Witnesses associated with the accused media outlet have claimed that they were instructed to inflame tensions within the Muslim community, inciting them towards violence and riots. They further alleged receiving cash incentives to distribute among protesters during various demonstrations, including those against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the Shaheen Bagh protests.
According to reports by India Today, witnesses have disclosed that rioters received funds from sources in China via the media platform to procure firearms for instigating unrest and arson. Additionally, money was purportedly provided to individuals in Kashmir to foment insurrection.
These revelations, protected under section 41 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), were recorded in court and form part of the chargesheet recently submitted by the Delhi Police. The witnesses, some of whom were former employees of NewsClick, detailed how staff members were allegedly deployed to protests with the aim of stoking religious tensions. They claimed that NewsClick employees collected payments from the company to be distributed among agitators, fueling chaos.
Furthermore, the investigation revealed the existence of several active groups on messaging platforms like WhatsApp, one of which aimed to exploit anti-CAA, farmers’, and Shaheen Bagh protests to exacerbate civil unrest. Another group reportedly sought to sustain upheaval in Kashmir. It was alleged that individuals associated with NewsClick not only worked as journalists but also engaged in propagandistic activities, including altering sensitive maps.
The chargesheet also implicates Sharjeel Imam, a figure in the anti-CAA violence case, alleging that he received funds from Prabir Purkayastha to further their purported agenda. Evidence of foreign funding through NewsClick includes activist Teesta Setalvad, who allegedly received money through covert channels to revive her portal ‘Sabrang India’. The chargesheet claims that Setalvad’s associates and contributors were remunerated by Purkayastha, with articles published under the ‘Sabrang India’ banner concealing the true authors. This purportedly facilitated Setalvad in earning substantial sums for her portal and personal use.
The Delhi Police, in its chargesheet, asserts that despite scrutiny from probe agencies, Setalvad, Purkayastha, and their associate Neville Roy Singham, operated in an “interoperable triumvirate”. Singham, described as Purkayastha’s long-standing associate and an American millionaire, played a significant role in these alleged activities, as per the police investigation.
The chargesheet alleged that the trio supported each other for personal interests, alongside advancing a broader Left Wing Terrorism (LWT) agenda backed by Neville’s financiers. Police investigations revealed email exchanges between Teesta Setalvad and Neville Roy Singham indicating Singham’s funding of Setalvad’s portal ‘Sabrang India’ and NGO ‘Citizens for Justice and Peace’ (CJP) through Prabir Purkayastha.
During a probe on December 13, 2023, a Special Cell team visited Mumbai, serving a notice to Teesta Setalvad and her husband Javed Anand, also co-editor of ‘Sabrang India’, seeking details on transactions. The team requested agreements between Sabrang India and NewsClick, detailing manpower sharing, salary information, and content produced.
NewsClick stands accused of receiving over Rs 80 crore from Chinese corporations, aiming to “disrupt India’s sovereignty” and foment anti-national sentiments, as mentioned in the First Information Report (FIR). A Delhi court granted police an additional 10 days to conclude their investigation into Prabir Purkayastha. Amit Chakravarty, head of NewsClick’s HR division and a former accuser turned approver, saw his judicial custody extended by ten days.
Police disclosed that in October 2023, raids were conducted at 88 locations across Delhi and seven other states, targeting individuals named in the FIR and those identified during data analysis. Furthermore, Purkayastha faces charges of conspiring to disrupt the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and collaborating with the People’s Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS).
On October 3 of the previous year, Delhi Police apprehended NewsClick founder and editor Prabir Purkayastha and HR head Amit Chakravarty under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. On the same day, police raided and sealed the NewsClick office as part of investigations into alleged foreign funding from China to propagate narratives critical of India.
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