By developer A shocking crackdown has begun against the journalists of the internet news portal known as newsclick. Journalists of standing and repute like Abhisar Sharma, and Paranjoy Guhathakurta have been raided by the Enforcement Directorate of the government of India over charges of terrorism.
The matter began with a New York times article alleging that Chinese funds found their way into the company through an Indian American billionnaire based off Shanghai, named Neville Roy Singham. An investigation had been initiated by the Delhi police, which is under the control of the Central government, to probe the company for ‘economic offences’. After the article, the investigation was expanded.
Now the matter has culminated with charges of terrorism under the draconian unlawful activities prevention act (UAPA for short).
So far the authorities have raided the homes of every journalist of newsclick, arrested it’s founder Prabir Purkayastha and human resources head Amit Chakravarty. Journalists were raided by the police at their homes, their devices seized and made to sit through hours of questioning. Even interns who worked with the company felt the terror of police barging into their homes and questioning them.
The police questioned over whether the journalists covered issues like the farmer’s protests and Delhi riots. This line of questioning exposes the political nature of these raids, the Modi government is very mindful about ‘controlling the narrative’. In his own words, his main regret was being unable to control the media narrative around the Gujarat pogroms, not the deaths of 2000 people. The BJP in it’s grand strategy to secure control over the country, must control the media, for the most part they have succeeded in this goal securing the unquestioned support of the majority of mainstream news media outlets, particularly so of Hindi speaking mainstream news channels. However, the internet sphere remains free of government control, so far.
Newsclick, newslaundry, and other individual journalists who were once with mainstream media or as independent journalists, have started their own enterprises in retaliation to the government’s control. Despite these channels not being ideological for the most part, it’s independence and critical coverage of issues in India, and criticism of the government in particular, is enough for Modi and the BJP to attack them.
The attack on the free press is not new, and under Modi, India’s freedom of press has deteriorated massively. The impact of monopolist companies buying out news channels, of intimidation from the state and non-state actors, the overwhelming flood of pro-government media, has all contributed to giving India a press ranking of 161 out of 180 countries this year. In 2022 this rank was 150. For comparison, Pakistan’s rank was 150 in 2023.
India ranks among the lowest in the world for freedom of press, a sign of the autocratic nature of the Modi government. The latest crackdown on newsclick is part of it’s larger agenda of stamping out dissent, and ensuring it’s complete dominance over the media landscape. So far, online media is one area where it has not had much success, but with the raids against newsclick, it is safe to conclude that even this sphere is no longer safe.
The arrests and seizures follow India’s crackdown against political prisoners in the Elgar parishad case, and the aftermath of the CAA protests with activists like Gautam Navlakha, Umar Khalid, still in jail. The noted tribal activist and leader Father Stan Swamy died in prison during the pandemic.
It is necessary in this time for to unite and fight against this authoritarianism !
HANDS OFF THE FREE PRESS !
STOP THE RAIDS !
DOWN WITH MODI !