Funds came from China to disrupt India: Delhi cops in NewsClick FIR

Tribune News Service

Samad Hoque

New Delhi, October 6

The Delhi Police in an FIR filed under anti-terror law UAPA against NewsClick portal have alleged that a large sum of its funds came from China to disrupt India’s sovereignty and cause disaffection against the country as part of a “larger criminal conspiracy”.

‘Intent to show Kashmir not part of India’

• Since 2018, fraudulent funds received by NewsClick Studio Pvt Ltd from Worldwide Media Holdings LLC, USA, and others
• Foreign funds “illegally routed” to NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha by Neville Roy Singham, a US businessman
• Intent to show Kashmir and Arunachal not parts of India
• Conspired to prolong farmers’ agitation via funding

It had registered an FIR on August 17, and on October 3 conducted multiple raids in the Capital and seven other states. The same day, NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha and human resources head Amit Chakravarty were arrested. A case was registered under Sections 13, 16, 17, 18 and 22-C of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and 153-A and 120-B of the IPC. These sections deal with advocating, abetting, advising or inciting the commission of any unlawful activity; raising funds for terrorist acts; and conspiracy or attempt to commit a terrorist act. The FIR says since 2018 fraudulent funds going up to crores of rupees had been received by M/s PPK NewsClick Studio Pvt. Ltd. through illegal means for a span of five years from M/s Worldwide Media Holdings LLC, USA, and others. “Foreign funds have fraudulently been infused by Neville Roy Singham, active member of the propaganda department of the Communist Party of China, through a complex web of several entities.” the FIR read.

The FIR alleges that Purkayastha was associated since 1991 with Navlakha, who is also an accused in the Elgar-Parishad case. The money sent by Neville Singham was “illegally routed” to Purkayastha and his associates. These funds were distributed by Purkayastha to Navlakha and associates of Teesta Setalvad, the FIR alleged. The FIR also said secret inputs revealed that Purkayastha, Singham and some employees of Singham’s Shanghai-based company StarStream had exchanged emails which expose their intent to show that Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh were not parts of India.

They conspired to disrupt the supply of essential services and abet damage and destruction of property to prolong the farmers’ agitation, the FIR added. “The accused also wanted to create law and order problems and propagated a false narrative to discredit the efforts to contain Covid-19,” the Delhi Police says in the FIR. The FIR has also named Chinese telecom companies such as Xiaomi and Vivo for incorporating thousands of shell companies in India in violation of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for infusing foreign funds illegally in the country for “furtherance of this conspiracy”. It further said that Purkayastha, Singham, Hariharan and Gautam Bhatia conspired to create a legal community network in India to campaign for and put up a spirited defence of legal cases against Chinese telecom companies in return for benefits from these Chinese companies.

HC seeks reply from police on UAPA charge

The Delhi High Court on Friday asked the Delhi Police to respond to NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha’s petition challenging his arrest under the UAPA and quashing of the FIR against him

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