Hyderabad, Oct 5 (PTI) A protest rally by journalists and social activists was held here on Thursday condemning the Delhi Police's action against news portal NewsClick.

The protesters under the banner of Indian Journalists Union (IJU), Telangana State Union of Working Journalists (TUWJ), Hyderabad Union of Journalists (HUJ) and several other organisations took out a rally with black cloth tied to their mouths.

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The rally was held against "the oppressive police raids on NewsClick, arbitrary arrests of journalists in Delhi," a release from TUWJ said.

The protesters held placards that read "We Stand With NewsClick", "We Condemn Delhi Police Action", "Respect Media", "Save Journalism Save Democracy", "Media Freedom is non-negotiable," and also raised slogans.

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Speakers at the meeting, which was organised after the rally and presided over by IJU president K Sreenivas Reddy condemned the alleged dictatorial attitude of the BJP-led Central government over the developments. Human rights activist G Haragopal was among those who addressed the meeting.

The Delhi Police arrested NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha and human resources head Amit Chakravarty, on Tuesday after searching nearly 50 locations and questioning several journalists in connection with the case filed under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), following allegations that the portal received money to spread pro-China propaganda.

Police have sealed NewsClick's office in Delhi. Forty-six suspects were questioned and digital devices, including laptops and mobile phones, besides documents taken away for examination.

(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)