India News | CPI Condemns Raids on News Portal
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The CPI(M) has strongly condemned the early morning raids on the houses of several journalists and others by the Delhi Police on Tuesday.
New Delhi, Oct 3 (PTI) The CPI(M) has strongly condemned the early morning raids on the houses of several journalists and others by the Delhi Police on Tuesday.
In a statement, the CPI(M) politburo pointed out that the raids were carried out on the basis of a FIR that invokes several sections of the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
"This is a brazen assault on the media and the fundamental right to freedom of expression. During the last nine years, the (Narendra) Modi government has deployed investigation agencies to suppress, harass and intimidate various media houses like the BBC, Newslaundry, Dainik Bhaskar, Bharat Samachar, the Kashmir Walla, the Wire etc., and now, raiding all those connected with NewsClick," it said.
"Such a large-scale authoritarian assault against media organisations and journalists who speak truth to power is totally unacceptable," it added.
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"The politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) calls upon all Indian democratic-minded patriots to rise in unison to protest against such a systematic conspiracy to target, persecute and suppress the media that is meant to be the conscience keeper," the party said.
The Delhi Police's Special Cell searched 30 locations connected with NewsClick and its journalists on Tuesday in a case filed under the anti-terror law UAPA following allegations that the online news portal received money for pro-China propaganda.
Following the searches, the police has sealed the office of the portal.
The police said no one was arrested during the searches concentrated in Delhi-NCR. Founder and editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha was taken to the portal's south Delhi office where a forensic team was present.
Among those questioned were journalists Urmilesh, Aunindyo Chakravarty and Abhisar Sharma as well as historian Sohail Hashmi.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)