Condemning the recent police crackdown on NewsClick and the arrest of its editor under the draconian UAPA in India, the students of Columbia Journalism School assert that journalism is not a crime, and it most certainly is not terrorism.
“In the early hours of October 3, 2023, police in India questioned, detained and arrested dozens of journalists, editors, and writers associated with NewsClick, an outlet that is known to be critical of the current regime. The homes of these journalists and human rights defenders were raided, and their phones and laptops seized. While some were released after questioning, others were arrested on charges of terrorism and criminal conspiracy,” read a statement signed 70 students of the school.
“This episode is the most recent of a systematic pattern of persecution of journalists and human rights defenders in India, especially through the invocation of draconian anti-terror legislation,” the students said.
“As students of journalism, we recognize the importance of a free and fair press in a democracy and recognize the actions of the police as an attack on the fourth estate. The intimidation of those who question the government and its policies is unacceptable in any functioning democracy and points to an extremely worrying trend, which is evidenced by India’s drop in the Press Freedom Index, from 150 in 2022, to 161 out of 180 countries in 2023,” the statement added.
The students said they believe in the due process of the law, and condemn the use of legal might to silence those who speak and write the truth.
“As students of journalism who also hope to write stories that matter in the future, we stand in solidarity with those who have, and are being harassed by the state as a result. We condemn their harassment in no uncertain terms and call for it to end,” the statement concluded.
Delhi Police Special cell carried out raids against dozens of reporters linked with news website NewsClick and arrested its editor Prabir Purkayastha and HR head Amit Chakravarty in a UAPA case, drawing outrage from journalists and rights groups over a growing crackdown on the media under Narendra Modi’s government.
The FIR against NewsClick was registered under the anti-terrorism law on Tuesday over allegations of receiving foreign money.
The recent crackdown comes days after the New York Times published an investigative report that alleged that NewsClick had received funds from US millionaire businessman Neville Roy Singham, who “sprinkled its coverage with Chinese government talking points”.
