Journalist Prabir Purkayastha, who founded NewsClick, and Amit Chakravarty, the HR head of the news portal, have both been arrested under the anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. These arrests come in the wake of a New York Times investigation that claimed the news portal had received funding from a network promoting Chinese propaganda.
Earlier today, searches conducted at the residences of journalists associated with the NewsClick website ignited a political controversy, with the Opposition alleging that the Narendra Modi government was suppressing press freedom.
"A total of 37 male suspects have been questioned at premises, 9 female suspects have been questioned at their respective places of stay and digital devices, documents etc. have been seized/collected for examination. The proceedings are still ongoing; so far, two accused, Prabir Purkayastha and Amit Chakravarty have been arrested," NDTV quoted a police source as saying.
