Chinese government was ultimate paymaster of NewsClick: Delhi Police charge sheet

Delhi Police charge NewsClick founder and HR head for alleged Chinese state links, funding anti-India activities.

New Delhi:

The Delhi Police have charged NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha and human resources head of the news portal Amit Chakraborty for allegedly acting at the behest of the “Chinese State,” their “ultimate paymaster.”

The charge sheet filed under the anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), is primarily based on the police’s interpretation of strings of email exchanged between Mr. Purkayastha, American millionaire Neville Roy Singham and few others (whose role in the case is under investigation), along with the testimonies of protected witnesses, who include employees of the news portal.

In the 169-page primary charge sheet which has 7,382 pages annexures, the police say that Mr. Purkayastha and Mr. Singham were conspiring “nothing else but to forcibly replace Indian democracy with the Party-State system like the one that exists in present-day China”.

The charge sheet also alleged that Mr. Purkayastha infused funds from China into India to stoke and sustain the 2020 Delhi riots and even the farmers’ protest.

The police claimed that the accused allied, supported and funded Pakistan-sponsored Kashmiri terrorists’ groups and mainland Maoist LWE (Left Wing Extremist) organisations. Also, that they actively supported anti-State mass movement such as the CAA/NRC protests and played a vital part in China’s sponsored information warfare during COVID-19 global pandemic.

The charge sheet also alleged that out of the funds received from Mr. Singham, Mr. Purkayastha gave ₹36 lakh to a person with the direction to give it further to Sharjeel Imam for inciting the Delhi riots of 2020. A part of this funds was also given to SFI activist Anusha Paul and Pawan Kulkarni to instigate protesters and create violence during CAA, NRC protests, it claimed.