After government authorities discovered the link between the online portal NewsClick, which had received several crores in funding from the US and China, police on 3 October 2023 conducted raids and detained several leftist journalists with links to leftist propaganda outlet NewsClick. The ‘journalists’ whose premises have been raided include Sanjay Rajoura, Bhasha Singh, Urmilesh, Prabir Purkayastha, Abhisar Sharma, Aunindyo Chakraborty, and Sohail Hashmi.
As per reports, the police took away mobiles and laptops for forensics analysis which may give more information on how deep the nexus is between hostile foreign entities and some journalists.
The Delhi Police Special Cell also searched the residence of senior CPI(M) leader and general secretary Sitaram Yechury. It just be noted that Yechury is married to journalist Seema Chisti who works as an Editor at another leftist Islamist apologist outlet The Wire, a portal run by American Citizen and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cardholder, and former editor of The Hindu, newspaper Siddharth Varadarajan.
However, the communist leader clarified that the raid was not targeting the CPI-M, but rather the son of a party office employee who works at NewsClick as a graphics artist.
#WATCH | Delhi: On Delhi Police conducting raids at different premises linked to NewsClick, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury says, "Police came to my residence because one of my companions who lives with me there, his son works for NewsClick. Police came to question him.… pic.twitter.com/ULoF9G7W7O
— ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2023
Also, the Mumbai home of activist Teesta Setalvad’s Mumbai was raided in the matter. In August 2023, it was reported that during an investigation, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had found that Newsclick received monies from China that were used to fund NGOs, byTeesta Setalvad’s husband, son, and daughter whom some of the beneficiaries, including Abhisar Sharma and Gautam Navlakha.
Teesta Setalvad has been accused of profiting from the funds she collected for the 2002 Gujarat Riots victims and been accused of tutoring witnesses in cases filed against the Gujarat Government then-CM Narendra Modi. She has also been accused of taking funds (Rs 30 lakh) from Congress leader, the late Ahmad Patel for waging a media war against the Modi-led government in Gujarat.
As the news of the raid hit the grapevine, the left-liberal ecosystem started wailing and within minutes social media like X (Formally Twitter) there was a deluge of messages of solidarity and how the police raids were an attack on freedom of speech and democracy. They even went as far as even if any journalist was the beneficiary of funding from a hostile nation, police conducting an investigation against them was an attack on the free press.
One of the first people to give a smoke screen and cover fire was Rohini Singh who said on her X post, “Journalists raided by the police, laptops and phones taken away because journalism is the biggest crime in new India.”
Journalists raided by the police, laptops and phones taken away because journalism is the biggest crime in new India.
— Rohini Singh (@rohini_sgh) October 3, 2023
She, however, conveniently forgot how jubilant she was when Mumbai police arrested Arnab Goswami of the Republic News Channel. She was not only happy that Arnab one of the most popular journalists had been arrested, but also in that process, passed a snide remark against Karva Chauth.
Pratik Sinha who is the co-founder of Islamic propaganda outlet AltNews with Mohammad Zubair who never loses an opportunity to paint targets on Hindu women on a regular basis, declared that the government was “crossing all limits”.
How can you target journalists/contributors associated with Newsclick? This Government is crossing all limits.
— Pratik Sinha (@free_thinker) October 3, 2023
Arfa Khanum Sherwani who once said Muslims should bide for their time and then strike wrote on X, “Mother of democracy, anyone ? In early morning raids on homes of several journalists, stand-up comics, satirists and commentators, Delhi police has started interrogations in matters “related to terror links”.
Mother of democracy, anyone ?
— Arfa Khanum Sherwani (@khanumarfa) October 3, 2023
In early morning raids on homes of several journalists, stand-up comics, satirists and commentators, Delhi police has started interrogations in matters “related to terror links” https://t.co/pBw293hvYE
But at the same time Arfa Khanum Sherwani on her propaganda portal, thewire, wrote a heartfelt article on why she will not support Arnab Goswami as a journalist.
Habitual virtue signaller, dog-whistling apologist journalist Rajdeep Sardesai said, Breaking story this morning: Delhi police special cell raids homes of several journalists/writers associated with Newsclick website. Take away mobiles and laptops.. interrogation on. No warrant/FIR shown yet. Since when did journalists become state ‘enemies’ in a democracy?
Breaking story this morning: Delhi police special cell raids homes of several journalists/writers associated with Newsclick website. Take away mobiles and laptops.. interrogation on. No warrant/FIR shown yet. Since when did journalists become state ‘enemies’ in a democracy?
— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) October 3, 2023
Dhanya Rajendran, the Editor-in-Chief of Dravidianist-Leftist portal The News Minute reposted Abhisar Sharma’s distress call. Her outlet on the other hand covered the incident as if it was a crackdown on free-speech with a headline “Delhi police raids houses of several journalists, political commentators” completely brushing under the carpet the fact that NewsClick peddled Chinese propaganda and has ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
All hell broke loose when The New York Times exposed the ties of an American businessman named Neville Roy Singham and his association with the Chinese government and his financial support to an Indian leftist propaganda outlet, NewsClick.
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