The Delhi Police has accused NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha, arrested in a case filed under anti-terror law UAPA following charges that the portal received money to spread pro-China propaganda, of conspiring to peddle a narrative that Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh are disputed territories.
Purkayastha and the human resources department head at NewsClick, Amit Chakravarty, were arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police on Tuesday.
In their remand application, police said: “Secret inputs revealed that Purkayastha, Neville Roy Singham and some other Chinese employees of Singham-owned Shanghai-based company have exchanged mails which expose their intent to show Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh as not part of India.”
“Such attempts by these persons reveal their conspiracy to peddle a narrative, both globally and domestically, that Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh are disputed territories. Their attempts to tinker with the northern borders of India and to show Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh as not parts of India in maps amount to an act intended towards undermining the unity and territorial integrity of India,” the application said.
It was also learnt that Gautam Navlakha, a shareholder in NewsClick, was involved in anti-India and unlawful activities, such as actively supporting banned Naxal organisations and having an anti-national nexus with Gulam Nabi Fai, an agent of Pakistani spy agency ISI, it stated.
It has also been learnt that foreign funds were siphoned off by Purkayastha and his associates, police said.
“The accused persons have also conspired to disrupt supplies and services essential to the life of community in India and abet damage and destruction of property by protraction of farmers’ protest through such illegal foreign funding,” the application said.