Journalists attacked for reporting on Govt of India's 'anti-people, undemocratic' policies

Counterview Desk
The civil rights network, Campaign Against State Repression (CASR)* has said that the recent police raid and arrest of senior journalists and activists associated with the news portal NewsClick.in, mainly in Delhi, is part of the “overall onslaught on democratic voices all over the country”. In a statement, CASR said, while in Delhi, the pretext was “Chinese terror funding”, elsewhere – whether in UP, Bihar, Telangana or Odisha – alibi was “Maoist links”.
Calling institution of cases registered under the anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in each of them as “fabricated”, CASR said, the whole government move is meant to “unleashed its agencies against any and all democratic voice, laying out the message that all democratic dissent will result in repression”.

Text:

On 3rd October 2023, the homes of prominent journalists and human rights activists associated with the online portal Newsclick were raided by the Delhi Police special cell, encompassing more than 30 locations.
The culmination of these raids is the arresting of the Prabir Purkayastha, the editor of Newsclick and Amit Chakravarty, the HR head of Newsclick under the draconian UAPA. These raids come in light of the FIR filed under the draconian UAPA law, Sections 153A (promoting enmity between two groups) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC which allege that the suspected persons have been taking “Chinese terror funding” to foster unrest in India.
The targeted persons in this fabricated case are Prabir Purkayastha, video journalist Abhisar Sharma, writer Githa Hariharan, journalist Bhasha Singh, activist and historian Sohail Hashmi, journalist Subodh Verma, comedian Sanjay Rajaura, journalist Urmilesh, veteran journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and economic analyst Aunindyo Chakravarty.
Activist Teesta Setalvad’s home in Mumbai was also visited by the Delhi Police for questioning, with Setalvad being the director of Tricontinental Institute of Social Research which writes for Newsclick too. The home of Sitaram Yechury, Secretary-General of Communist Party of India (Marxist) was also searched as the Delhi Police was looking for Sunmit Kumar, a graphics designer for Newsclick who is the son of CPM party office staffer Sri Narayan.
These raids and arrests become part of the overall onslaught on democratic voices all over the country. What began as the attack on Bhagat Singh Students Morcha in Benaras Hindu University, Uttar Pradesh along with very many intellectuals and kisan activists in the state became a country-wide attack on all streams of democratic rights activists and organizations.
In many States, the excuse of the NIA was investigation into “Maoist links” among the various activists it was raiding, which including even an arrest in Telangana just yesterday (2nd October 2023) along with raids in 62 locations all over Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. This led to an arrest in Telangana of Chandra Narasimhulu of Pragathiseela Karmika Samakya (PKS) under UAPA.

It is in preparation of 2014 polls like in 2019, which saw onslaught on democratic forces through bogus Bhima Koregaon case

In Jharkhand, be it Gandhian, Marxist-Leninist, anti-caste, Adivasi rights, human rights or civil liberties organizations, 64 such organizations were deemed as part of the Naional Investation Agency's (NIA’s) suspected list of “Maoist-linked” organizations as part of their investigation. In Odisha, the valiant land struggles in Niyamgiri hills and Mali Parbat are being attacked with blatant abductions of activists by the police. In Bihar, the activists associated with Kaimur Mukti Morcha leading a land struggle for the rights of Adivasis were similarly suppressed.

Now in Delhi, journalists have been targeted for reporting which exposes the highly undemocratic and anti-people policies of the current government. In preparation of the 2024 elections, like the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, which saw the onslaught on democratic movement through the bogus Elgaar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon case, the government has unleashed its agencies against any and all democratic voice, laying out the message that all democratic dissent will result in repression under the regime of Brahmanical Hindutva fascism.
CASR condemns the raids against Newclick journalists, associated activists and NIA raids all over the country in the name of national security as well as the arrests made after these raids.
CASR demands immediate end to the raids conducted by the Delhi Police and the NIA all over the country and demands the immediate release of all political prisoners arrested after these raids. CASR urges all democratic organizations and activists to come together in united struggle against Brahmanical Hindutva fascism.
---
*AIRSO,AISA, APCR,BASF, BSM, Bhim Army, bsCEM, CEM, CRPP, CTF, DISSC, DSU, Fraternity ,IAPL, Karnataka Janashakti, LAA,Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan, Mazdoor Patrika, Morcha Patrika, NAPM, Nowruz, NTUI, People’s Watch, Rihai Manch, Samajwadi Janparishad,Smajwadi lok Manch, Bahujan Samajavadi Manch, United Against Hate, WSS,Y4S

Comments

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

The golden crop: How turmeric is transforming women's lives in tribal India

By Vikas Meshram* When the lush green fields of turmeric sway in the tribal belt of southern Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, it is not merely a spice crop — it is the golden glow of self-reliance. In villages where even basic spices once had to be bought from the market, the very soil today is yielding a prosperity that has transformed the lives of thousands of families. At the heart of this transformation is the initiative of Vaagdhara, which has linked turmeric with livelihoods, nutrition, and village self-governance — gram swaraj.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Authoritarian destruction of the public sphere in Ecuador: Trumpism in action?

By Pilar Troya Fernández The situation in Ecuador under Daniel Noboa's government is one of authoritarianism advancing on several fronts simultaneously to consolidate neoliberalism and total submission to the US international agenda. These are not isolated measures, but rather a coordinated strategy that combines job insecurity, the dismantling of the welfare state, unrestricted access to mining, the continuation of oil exploitation without environmental considerations, the centralization of power through the financial suffocation of local governments, and the systematic criminalization of all forms of opposition and popular organization.

Echoes of Vietnam and Chile: The devastating cost of the I-A Axis in Iran

By Ram Puniyani The recent joint military actions by Israel and the United States against Iran have been devastating. Like all wars, this conflict is brutal to its core, leaving a trail of human suffering in its wake. The stated pretext for this aggression—the brutality of the Ayatollah Khamenei regime and its nuclear ambitions—clashes sharply with the reality of the diplomatic landscape. Iran had expressed a willingness to remain at the negotiating table, signaling a readiness to concede points emerging from dialogue.

False claim? What Venezuela is witnessing is not surrender but a tactical retreat

By Manolo De Los Santos The early morning hours of January 3, 2026, marked an inflection point in Venezuela and Latin America’s centuries-long struggle for self-determination and independence. Operation Absolute Resolve, ordered by the Trump administration, constituted the most brutal and direct military assault on a sovereign state in the region in recent memory. In a shocking operation that left hundreds dead, President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores were illegally kidnapped from Venezuelan soil and transported to the United States, where they now face fabricated charges in a New York federal detention facility. In the two months since this act of war, a torrent of speculation has emerged from so-called experts and pundits across the political spectrum. This has followed three main lines: One . The operation’s success indicated treason at the highest levels of the Bolivarian Revolution. Two . Acting President Delcy Rodríguez and the remaining leadership have abandone...

The selective memory of a violent city: Uttam Nagar and the invisible victims of Delhi

By Sunil Kumar* Hundreds of murders take place in Delhi every year, yet only a few incidents become topics of nationwide discussion. The question is: why does this happen? Today, the incident in Uttam Nagar has become the centre of national debate. A 26-year-old man, Tarun Kumar, was killed following a dispute that reportedly began after a balloon hit a small child. In several colonies of Delhi, slogans such as “Jai Shri Ram” and “Vande Mataram” are being raised while demanding the death penalty for Tarun’s killers. As a result, nearly 50,000 residents of Hastsal JJ Colony are now living in what resembles a state of confinement.

The price of silence: Why Modi won’t follow Shastri, appeal for sacrifice

By Arundhati Dhuru, Sandeep Pandey* In 1965, as India grappled with war and a crippling food crisis, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri faced a United States that used wheat shipments under the PL-480 agreement as a lever to dictate Indian foreign policy. Shastri’s response remains legendary: he appealed to the nation to skip one meal a day. Millions of middle-class households complied, choosing temporary hunger over the sacrifice of national dignity. Today, India faces a modern equivalent in the energy sector, yet the leadership’s response stands in stark contrast to that era of self-reliance.

Gujarat government urged to introduce heat-stress safety rules for construction workers

By A Representative A representation submitted to Gujarat Labour, Skill Development and Employment Minister Kunvarji Bavaliya has urged the state government to introduce legally enforceable safety standards to protect construction workers from extreme heat and heatwaves, and to launch a financial assistance scheme for labourers affected by climate-related health risks.

Search This Blog