Delhi police search notable journalists' houses, according to NewsClick

 Delhi police search notable journalists' houses, according to NewsClick

The houses of numerous well-known journalists and authors were raided by police in Delhi, the capital of India, as part of a probe into the funding of the news website NewsClick.

Mobile phones and laptops belonging to those the police searched on Tuesday morning have been seized.

Authorities are apparently looking into claims that NewsClick obtained unlawful funding from China, a claim the company vigorously refutes.

Critics claim that the action intentionally violates journalistic freedom.

An independent news and current affairs website with a reputation for being critical of the government, NewsClick was founded in 2009. It was allegedly violating India's regulations on foreign direct investment when tax authorities raided it in 2021.

Editor of the website Prabir Purkayastha, reporters Abhisar Sharma, Aunindyo Chakravarty, and Bhasha Singh, well-known humorist Sanjay Rajoura, and historian Sohail Hashmi are reportedly among those whose homes were searched on Tuesday. For questioning, several of them have been brought to police stations.

authorities have not yet commented on the raids, however Mr. Sharma confirmed the news on X (formerly Twitter) and said that his phone and laptop were stolen by the authorities. Additionally, Ms. Singh noted that the police had taken her phone.

According to news outlet ANI, searches were also being conducted at the website's office in Delhi.

Suman Nalwa, a spokesperson for the Delhi Police, declined to comment when asked by the BBC and stated that she would "share the details when she gets them."

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The raids, according to reports, are related to a case brought against NewsClick in August following a New York Times article that claimed the website had been given money by an American businessman to propagate "Chinese propaganda."

According to the report, Neville Roy Singham collaborated closely with the "Chinese government media machine" and utilized his network of shell corporations and non-profit organizations to "finance its propaganda throughout the world."

According to reports, a complaint was filed against the website on August 17. NewsClick has categorically refuted each and every accusation.

According to Mr. Rajoura's attorney Ilin Saraswat, police arrived at the comedian's residence on Tuesday around 06:30 local time (01:00 GMT).

Mr. Rajoura, a strong opponent of the administration, has previously produced satirical videos for NewsClick. According to Mr. Saraswat, the police seized his laptop, two phones, a few DVDs of his earlier work, and some papers.

"The police stated that although Mr. Rajoura is not identified in the ongoing investigation, he would be questioned because he has worked with the website. No copy of the police complaint has been sent to us, he continued.

A number of media organisations have been under investigation by the government for financial wrongdoing since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2014, raising concerns about press freedom in the biggest democracy in the world.

Tax authorities searched BBC offices in India earlier this year and questioned employees about the organization's commercial activities there. Weeks after the broadcaster aired a program in the UK criticizing Mr. Modi's role in the 2002 Gujarat riots, searches were conducted in Delhi and Mumbai.

After publishing critical articles on how the government handled the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, tax authorities also charged the Dainik Bhaskar daily with tax evasion.

This year, India ranked 161st in Reporters Without Borders' rankings of countries with respect to press freedom. It stated that the country's position has gone from "problematic" to "very bad" and contrasted it with Turkey (ranked 165th) and Tajikistan (ranked 153rd).