Following the raids conducted at the residences of scribes and employees of NewsClick, the founder and Editor-in-Chief, Prabir Purkayastha and Human Resources Head Amit Chakravarty were remanded in police custody for seven days on Wednesday after they were arrested.
According to reports, Purkayastha and Chakravarty were arrested by the Delhi Police after interrogating them on Tuesday in the NewsClick office under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and other sections.
The police informed that a total of 37 male suspects were questioned at the office premises and nine female suspects were questioned at their respective places of stay.
The police told ANI on Tuesday, “Regarding the search, seizure and detentions carried out today in connection with a UAPA case registered with Special Cell, so far two accused, Prabir Purkayastha and Amit Chakravarty have been arrested. A total of 37 male suspects have been questioned at the premises, and nine female suspects have been questioned at their respective places of stay.”
Notably, the Special Cell of the Delhi Police carried out a large-scale raid at over 30 locations in Delhi, Noida, and Ghaziabad. A case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) was also registered in this regard.
During the raid, the police team seized electronic evidence including laptops, mobile phones and took data dumps of hard disks. The searches by the Delhi Police are based on the input shared by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), indicating unlawful activities by the suspects.
Meanwhile, the Press Club of India has expressed concern over the multiple raids at the residences of journalists. Taking to X, the press club posted, "The Press Club of India is deeply concerned about the multiple raids conducted on the houses of journalists and writers associated with #Newsclick. We are monitoring the developments and will be releasing a detailed statement."
"The PCI stand in solidarity with the journalists and demand the government to come out with details," it added.
