The Delhi Police Special Cell conducted raids at the homes of Journalists and employees associated with the news portal called NewsClick. As per available information, the raids were conducted to find evidence of economic offenses in connection to its alleged Chinese links.
The Raids started at around 6 a.m. on October 3 at the residences of senior journalists which included NewsClick founder and editor Prabir Purkayastha. If reports are to be believed Special Cell of Delhi Police raided 30 locations including the NewsClick office in Delhi.
On October 4, the judge sentenced Purkayastha and Amit Chakravarty, the HR head, to seven days in police custody. The Delhi Police contested the arguments on the grounds that the motions were premature and that the accused should follow the procedure set down by law. The two requested copies of the FIR filed against them.
Now, the Patiala High Court has granted the requests for a copy of the FIR filed against NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha and Human Resources director Amit Chakravarty.
Who is Prabir Purkayastha?
Prabir Purkayastha was born in Delhi around the 1950s and he has lived in various cities in India. He is an activist, Journalist, and author by profession. He has attended various prestigious schools like the Indian Institute of Technology and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
He started writing articles from the time he was in JNU and he actively took part in student politics as well. Prabir Purkayastha is the founder and Editor of Newsclick, and he was booked by Delhi Police under UAPA.
He belongs to a Hindu Brahmin family, and there’s no information about whether he is a practitioner of the religion or not.
Prabir Purkayastha Family
As per the information available, Prabir Purkayasha’s mother’s name was S. Purkayastha. Also, there’s no information available regarding his father and siblings. Prabir Purkayastha is married to writer and editor Githa Hariharan.
Purkayastha’s wife is a celebrated writer and is known for the novel Thousand Faces of Night, for which she won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize in 1993. Geetha Hariharan is also the founder of the Indian Writers Forum. Prabir and Geetha have a son named Pratik.
Prabir Purkayastha’s China Connection
The New York Times published a report in August 2023 which revealed that NewsClick received funding from China to push Chinese Propaganda. The Delhi Police claimed that NewsClick received nearly ₹ 38 crore from entities with alleged links to China to influence pro-China content on the website.
NewsClick had denied the accusations, claiming that they were still under investigation and lacked any factual support. The business had made clear that it respected the legal system and steered clear of a “media trial.”
Puryakastha’s position on a request by the Delhi Police to remove protection from arrest in the UAPA case had been sought by the Delhi High Court. Apart from Prabir, renowned journalist Abhisar Sharma was also interrogated by the Delhi Police in the matter.
Prabir Purkayastha FAQs
A. Prabir Purkayastha is the founder and editor of NewsClick.
A. Prabir Purkayastha is married to writer and editor Githa Hariharan.
A. Purkayastha is arrested because there are allegations that NewsClick received funding from a network pushing Chinese propaganda.
A. Prabir Puryakastha is 73 years old.
A. Prabir Puryakastha and Geetha Hariharan have a son named Pratik.
