Raids on NewsClick journalists attack on freedom of expression says Sitaram Yechury

Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Tuesday condemned the raids on journalists linked with news website NewsClick, saying it is an "attack" on fundamental right to freedom of expression.

Delhi Police's Special Cell on Tuesday morning conducted raids at 30 premises connected with NewsClick as well as its journalists' houses. Yechury's official residence in Pt. Ravi Shankar Shukla lane was one of the sites raided by police to question his staffer Sri Narayan's son Sumit, who works with NewsClick.

The CPI(M) leader said the police came to his residence without any prior notice or information.

"They came without any information or notice. Initially they said they had come to inquire about some bank loan. Finally, when they came inside, they said it is in connection with NewsClick," Yechury said.

"They sat for around two hours, asked some questions. When they could not find anything, they took Sumit's laptop and phone and said it can be recollected after two days," he said.

He condemned the raids conducted at the residences of several journalists.

"We condemn the raids, this is an attack on press freedom and the fundamental right to freedom of expression. It has been a pattern in the last nine years...several media houses and organisations, international and Indian, have been attacked," Yechury said.

"There is no evidence that these people have done anything wrong, but they are being targeted. This is not just autocratic, but fascist," he said.

The CPI(M) leader mentioned that news organisations like News Laundry, The Wire, and BBC have faced similar raids in past.

"This is not acceptable. A case is going on against NewsClick, the ED has not been able to prove anything... Basically the raids are being conducted on the basis of rumours," he said.

The raids by Delhi Police's Special Cell were conducted in a case filed under the anti-terror law UAPA following allegations that it received money for pro-China propaganda.

Some journalists, including Urmilesh and Abhishar Sharma, were taken to the Lodhi Road Special Cell office but no one has been arrested so far in the searches concentrated in the Delhi-NCR region, officials said. Founder and editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha was taken to the NewsClick south Delhi office.