On 3 October, Delhi Police conducted a raid on the office of the news website NewsClick, subsequently sealing the premises and arresting its founder, Prabir Purkayastha, and the head of human resources, Amit Chakravarty, under draconian laws.
Journalists and opposition parties have denounced these arrests as the latest in a series of efforts by the Indian government to undermine independent and critical media within the country.
1. Prabir Purkayastha is one of the most senior and eldest editors of a news website in India today.
2. He has a background in engineering and is a science advocate, particularly in the fields of power, telecommunications, and software.
3. He played an active role in numerous social movements and initiatives centered around science, technology, the environment, and human rights.
4. Purkayastha was a founding member of the Delhi Science Forum (DSF), a group of scientists and activists that advocates for scientific temper, rationality, and social justice.
5. He co-authored various books, including “Enron Blowout: Corporate Capitalism and Theft of the Global Commons,” a significant publication exploring the domain of corporate capitalism and the appropriation of global resources, “Uncle Sam’s Nuclear Cabin,” and several others.
6. He was also involved in the People’s Science Movement (PSM), which is a network of grassroots organizations dedicated to fostering scientific literacy and raising awareness among the masses.
7. He founded NewsClick in 2009, a news website known for its commitment to independent journalism, covering news from India and beyond, with a particular emphasis on progressive movements.
8. Purkayastha was arrested in a similar manner during the Emergency in 1975 under the draconian Maintenance of Internal Security Act. He was incarcerated for a year on fabricated charges while he was a student activist at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
9. Prabir Purkayastha, born in Delhi in 1950, is currently 73 years old as of 2023.
10. He earned his master’s degree from Motilal College of Engineering and completed his master’s thesis at the Indian Institute of Technology. Additionally, he studied at the School of Language at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.
11. He is married to Gita Hariharan, who is an author.
