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At 6:15 am on a regular workday, little did a 30-year-old journalist expect the Delhi Police to come knocking at her door in her rented apartment in South Delhi.
The 30-year-old journalist is among the 46 individuals who were raided and questioned by the Delhi Police's Special Cell on Tuesday, 3 October, in connection with a probe into the funding of NewsClick.
This is in relation to a case that was filed against the digital news portal under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (or UAPA) in August.
The NewsClick journalist, who has been with the portal for the last three years, told The Quint:
"I am a junior in the office compared to others. But still they raided me. Raiding the office or the founders is one thing but going to a junior person's home is unexpected."
The searches that took place across Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad, and Mumbai began early Tuesday and continued for seven to eight hours.
In a statement, the Delhi Police said, "A total of 37 male suspects have been questioned at premises, nine female suspects have been questioned at their respective places of stay and digital devices, documents etc. have been seized/collected for examination," adding that the "proceedings are still ongoing" – and that they had arrested NewsClick's editor-in-chief Prabir Purkaystha and human resources head Amit Chakravarty.
Several journalists, technicians, and contributors associated with NewsClick also faced searches, many of whose electronic devices were seized. The Quint reached out to a few of them to understand what transpired on Tuesday.
'Questioned For Three Hours, Asked About Our Work'
"Did you cover the CAA protests in Shaheen Bagh?"
"What was your intention while reporting on such issues?"
"Were you paid extra to do a report on these events?"
These were some of the questions allegedly posed to some of the 46 individuals who were raided and questioned by the Delhi Police's Special Cell. Among those who were questioned were video journalist Abhisar Sharma, Bhasha Singh, Urmilesh, political commentator and senior journalist Aunindyo Chakravarty, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Satyam Tiwari, Subodh Verma, cartoonist Irfan, historian Sohail Hashmi, and satirist Sanjay Rajoura.
In Mumbai, Teesta Setalvad's home and office were also searched.
The police also reportedly examined the bank statements of journalists. Apart from that, they were asked personal details about their family backgrounds and employment history.
Speaking to The Quint, the 30-year-old journalist said that she was questioned for over three hours on Tuesday. "They searched my entire house, went through all my belongings. Initially, I thought this was regarding a source that I was in touch with or something. Only later I was told that it was regarding the UAPA case against NewsClick," she said.
The police officials allegedly told the journalist that they had permission to use force if needed. "They told me that they have been instructed to use brute force but are choosing not to use it. They asked me to cooperate, which I did," she said.
The Quint reached out to the Delhi Police's Special Cell officials on some of these allegations. They did not respond immediately. Their responses will be updated as and when they get back.
The journalist told The Quint that police officials posed close to 25 questions to her, mostly related to her work during the Northeast Delhi riots, farmers' protests, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
"They questioned me about my personal details and my work during the farmers' protest, Delhi riots, and COVID-19 pandemic in India. They also asked me what my intention was while covering those stories. They also asked me if I got paid extra to cover the issues. They also wanted to know why I wrote stories against the country and government. They had no follow up questions, just a performa that they were reading from."30-year-old Journalist to The Quint
'Are You Interested in JNU Student Politics?'
From 6:30 am till 5:30 pm on Tuesday, video journalist Abhisar Sharma was questioned by police officials. The Delhi Police, along with CISF personnel and UP Police, landed at his Noida residence for questioning, after which he was taken to the Special Cell office in Lodhi Colony for questioning.
In a video statement released on Wednesday, 4 October, Sharma said that the police officials told him "that they were there to question him regarding my alleged terror links."
"Did you go to cover the CAA protests? Did you report on the farmers' protest? Do you have speak to people in Poland, Australia, and Britain? Do you get calls from there? Four police officials asked me these same questions repeatedly for over seven hours," Sharma said.
"I told them that I don't go on the field to cover the issues, but record news analysis from my studio. I explained this to them several times," he said.
The video journalist was also reportedly asked if he was interested in covering student politics of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). "I told them that yes, I have covered on all issues – and I will continue to do so," Sharma said in his video.
The Quint has confirmed that Sharma was released around 5:30 pm. This was followed by the release of Paranjoy Guha Thakurta around 6:30 pm.
Speaking to mediapersons after his release, veteran journalist Prananjoy Thakurta said,
"Nine police personnel came to my home in Gurugram at 6:30 in the morning. They asked me various questions. I came with them voluntarily to the Special Cell of the Delhi Police. The same set of questions were asked over and over again, if I am an employee of NewsClick, I said 'No, I'm a consultant'. After I came here, I learnt that an FIR has been lodged apparently under the UAPA."
'Our Information Has Been Compromised'
In most cases, the laptops, hard drives, phones and pen drives of the journalists were reportedly seized. This, for many journalists felt as an invasion of privacy. The journalists also alleged that no seizure memo was given to them during or after the raid.
“They did not give me seizure memo. I was only asked to sign a statement that my devices were being taken away. There has been no proper documentation so far,” a journalist claimed to The Quint on condition of anonymity.
"The police now have access to years of work done by my. It's not just my privacy, but the privacy of my sources, who have shared their stories with me anonymously that is at risk. They spoke to me off the record in confidence. But now, their information is with the police. My family's privacy is at risk too. How is this fair?" asked the 30-year-old NewsClick journalist.
Meanwhile, Sarah Hashmi, daughter of historian Sohail Hashmi, told The Quint that six officials reached their New Delhi residence at 6 am Tuesday morning – and conducted a search for over 1.5 hours.
"Initially, they barged into our house without showing us the search warrant. They only said that they want to investigate all those linked to the NewsClick investigation. Upon asking them again, we were handed over the warrant which my father (Sohail Hashmi) read. We were harassed in early morning commotion where police personnel barged into our house, including our bedrooms," Hashmi said.
"He was questioned by the officials and was asked what he does, and who he is associated with. The cops eventually seized his personal computer, hard disc along with the flash drives – all containing significant files of his work life," she added.
Sarah also claimed that Sohail Hashmi had no relation to NewsClick and the case.
'Sheer Harassment And Intimidation'
The 30-year-old NewsClick journalist said she felt "unsafe as a journalist" in India. "As journalists, it is our job to report and write on several issues. When they target people like us, it's unfair. It's not the right way to treat the media," she said.
The journalist also said, "If they believe there is financial irregularity, they should speak to the owners. Why target people like us who are doing our jobs are aren't connected to this?"
Meanwhile, Abhisar Sharma in his video, asked if questioning the government amounted to "terror charges."
"It is my job to question the government. That's the job of all of us in media... I will not give up doing that. Don’t be in any misunderstanding that by sending the Delhi Police to my house or by pressurising me, you will be able to silence my voice," Sharma concluded.
A former journalist with the NewsClick told The Quint, "I strongly believe this is an attempt to shut down critical voices before the 2024 elections. I am extremely concerned about the safety of Prabir Purkaystha and Amit Chakravarty, who is a disabled man."
'Condemn Govt's Action To Treat Criticism as 'Sedition': NewsClick's Response
In an official statement, news portal NewsClick "strongly" condemned the actions of the government "that refuses to respect journalistic independence, and treats criticism as sedition or 'anti-national' propaganda."
The news portal further alleged that it had neither been provided with a copy of the FIR nor been informed about exact particulars of the offences with which the journalists have been charged.
The statement called the sealing of their office "a blatant attempt" to prevent them from reporting.
NewsClick's statement also went on to talk about the alleged "targeted" attacks on it by investigative agencies since 2021 – and that the government "has not been able to substantiate any charges against them "despite being in possession of all its information, documentation and communications".
"NewsClick does not propagate Chinese propaganda on its website. NewsClick does not take directions from Neville Roy Singham regarding the content published on its website," the statement noted.
It concluded by stating that it had "full faith in the courts and the judicial process."
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