NEW DELHI: Left-leaning student organisations along with members of civil society and journalists on Wednesday staged protests at two different locations in the national capital against the arrest of NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha and HR head Amit Chakravarty in a stringent UAPA case.
While the students under the banner of All India Students’ Association (AISA) staged a protest at the Jantar Mantar, several journalists expressed their angst and protested at the Press Club of India against the police action on the news portal NewsClick.
The Delhi police had on Tuesday arrested Purkayastha and Chakravarty after conducting searches at more than 35 locations and questioning several journalists in a case filed under the UAPA following allegations that the news portal received money for pro-China propaganda.
The protestors at Jantar Mantar called the raids an attack on press freedom in India and demanded the immediate release of those who were arrested by the police. The protesting journalists at the Press Club of India, holding some banners, said they are getting support from different media organisations and press clubs across the country.
Journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, who was questioned by police on Tuesday, shared his experience with the questioning and behaviour of the police.
“The entire staff of Delhi’s Special Cell asked me a set of many questions. However, their behaviour was very decent. They asked me if I needed tea and ordered lunch for me as well. As two — Prabir Purkayastha and Amit Chakravarty — have been arrested, I feel the police also behave in a decent way with them,” Thakurta said.
To avert any untoward situation, the Delhi police had deployed some police personnel outside of the Press Club to maintain law and order conditions. Speaking at Jantar Mantar, activist Shabnam Hashmi said, “This attack on press freedom and the continuous attack on democratic voices is a symptom of fear within the BJP”.
‘FIR copy not given’
NewsClick said on Wednesday that it has not been provided with a copy of the FIR registered by the Special Cell two months back. “We have not been provided FIR copy, or informed about the exact particulars of the alleged offences,” the news portal said in a statement.