‘Witch-hunting’: NewsClick’s ex-staff after Delhi Police raids Kerala house; 8 more journalists questioned

The Delhi Police, which has launched a massive crackdown on NewsClick, carried out a raid at the residence of the news portal’s former employee Anusha Paul near Kodumon in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta and reportedly seized her laptop and phone for examination as part of a probe into alleged funding from China.

Paul told reporters on Friday that a three-member team of the Delhi Police recorded her statement and confiscated electronic devices, news agency PTI reported. According to Paul, she was questioned about her association with NewsClick and the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The journalist claimed that the questions ranged from whether she reported on farmers’ protests, anti-National Register of Citizens-Citizenship Amendment Act protests (NRC-CAA) protests, or about the Covid-19 management of the Centre.

“This is a witch-hunt to threaten the organisation and its employees who used to raise voice against the Narendra Modi government and the RSS,” PTI quoted Paul as saying.

Paul was staying in Kerala for the treatment of a close family member. She added that the Delhi Police asked her whether she knew the Delhi state secretary of the CPI(M) KM Tiwari.

“Of course, I know him. I told them that. He is the state secretary of the CPI(M). I am a CPI(M) worker. I am a state committee member of the Delhi unit of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and its state treasurer,” she said.

Paul, however, said the Kerala Police was not part of the raid team. The Special Cell of the Delhi Police arrested NewsClick founder and editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha and human resources department head Amit Chakravarty on Tuesday evening after a total of 46 journalists and contributors to the online news portal were questioned and their mobile phones and other electronic gadgets seized.

On Friday, the special cell questioned at least eight journalists and contributors to the NewsClick for a second time in a week in connection with its case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, PTI reported.

They were called to the special cell office in the afternoon and questioned till late evening.

On Tuesday, a total of 46 journalists and contributors to the online news portal were questioned and their mobile phones and other electronic gadgets seized throughout the day.

After the first round of questioning on Tuesday, the investigators had asked them to appear for a second time. “The investigators are questioning eight to 10 persons who are connected with the case daily,” a police source told PTI.

On Thursday, it questioned journalists Urmilesh and Abhisar Sharma and some others for a second time. On Friday, senior journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, who was among those questioned on Tuesday, was also called for questioning for a second time.

Guha Thakurta told PTI over the phone that he could not appear before the special cell as he was out of the city. “Now the special cell has told me to come on October 10 or 11,” he said.
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