COVID19, Xiaomi And Vivo, Farmers Protest: What Delhi Police FIR Reveals About NewsClick's China Links

In the First Information Report (FIR) against NewsClick , the Delhi Police's Special Investigation Team alleged a "larger criminal conspiracy" involving Chinese telecom companies Xiaomi and Vivo and cited the "strong legal case" against the news website. Companies. . .

From "attempted encroachment" on the northern border to defamation of the Indian government's fight against Covid-19, the FIR registered on August 17 against NewsClick founder and editor Prabir Purkayastha has brought to light several allegations.

According to The Telegraph , apart from 73-year-old Purkayastha, Delhi Police has named activist Gautam Navlakha and American tech mogul Neville Roy Singham as “accused” under Sections 13 (unlawful activity), 16 (terrorist act), and 17 (promotion). ). means of committing a terrorist act) and 18 (conspiracy) and 22C (offenses committed by institutions) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA. Sections 153A (promoting inter-group enmity) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) were also involved in the case.

Let us take a detailed look at what Delhi Police has alleged in its FIR.

"Hate India"

Citing "secret intelligence", the Delhi Police said that "... millions of foreign funds were smuggled into India by Indian and foreign entities hostile to India as part of a conspiracy to undermine India's sovereignty and territorial integrity and to stir up discontent against India." very. And threatening the country. For the unity, safety and security of India.”

The FIR added that PPK Newsclick Studio Pvt. Ltd, which owns NewsClick.in , received “millions of rupees” through “illegal means” from Worldwide Media Holdings LLC, the US and others over a five-year period starting April 2018 , The Telegraph reported.

“These foreign funds were fraudulently channeled by Neville Roy Singham, a resident of Shanghai and an active member of the Propaganda Department of the Communist Party of China, through a complex network of several organisations,” the police said. The Chinese Communist Party is the ruling party in China.

It also alleged that "huge sums" of Chinese money were used to publish "paid news" criticizing the Indian government's policies and promoting Chinese policies.

Purkayastha was also accused of being involved in a "conspiracy" with the Democratic Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS) to "subvert the electoral process during the 2019 general elections."

“To encourage this conspiracy... large sums of money were channeled from China in a cunning and covert manner, and paid news was deliberately disseminated criticizing India’s internal policies, development projects, and promoting the country’s policies, programmes, planning and advocacy.” . Government,” India Express quotes police statement.

This FIR led to a raid on NewsClick's New Delhi office and the homes of over 40 journalists, writers and contributors associated with the news portal earlier this week in the national capital, National Capital Region (NCR) and Mumbai. After the searches, the Special Cell arrested Purkayastha and NewsClick's HR head Amit Chakraborty.

In Xiaomi, Vivo

Chinese smartphone makers Xiaomi and Vivo set up shell companies in violation of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) to promote a "conspiracy" against India, police said.

“Furthermore, major Chinese telecom companies like Xiaomi, Vivo and others have been found to have engaged thousands of front companies in India in violation of the PMLA/FEMA to illegally pump foreign funds into India in furtherance of this conspiracy.”

Xiaomi, which is currently under investigation by the Anti-Money Laundering Office alongside Vivo, has denied the allegations.

“We do not know. “We strongly deny the allegations leveled against Xiaomi in the FIR,” a Xiaomi spokesperson in India told Reuters . “Xiaomi conducts its business with utmost respect and strict adherence to applicable laws. “Any allegation of conspiracy is completely baseless.”

Xiaomi and Vivo are major players in the Indian phone market.

In addition, the police have appointed lawyer Gautam Bhatia as a “key person” in the FIR, The Quint reported. Purkayasthan, Singham, Geeta Harihara and Gautam Bhatia (key person) then conspired to form a legal society network in India to aggressively campaign and defend lawsuits against the said Chinese telecom companies in exchange for benefits from those Chinese companies. The alleged complaint.

COVID-19, farmer protests and more

The Delhi Police alleged that the accused funded the farmers' protest against the three farm laws, which have now been repealed by the Centre. “The accused also conspired to disrupt vital supplies and services to the public in India and cause damage and destruction of property by prolonging the farmers’ grievance through this illegal foreign financing,” the Indian Express quoted the FIR as saying.

“It has also been revealed that Purkayasthan, Singham... and others are actively spreading false stories to discredit the Indian government’s efforts to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic. They have acted against the national interest by promoting a misleading and false narrative about the development policies and initiatives of the domestic pharmaceutical industry and the elected Indian government.” Democratically, in collusion with anti-national forces.

The FIR cited "confidential information" that Purkayasthan, Singham and employees of his Shanghai-based company StarStream "exchanged emails indicating their intention to show Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh as part of India...". Their efforts to encroach on India's northern border and show Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh on maps as not part of India is an act aimed at undermining India's unity and territorial integrity.

NewsClick denies these allegations

NewsClick rejected these allegations, calling them "false and baseless."

“Besides being baseless and false, the allegations in the FIR were made several times during the investigation by three government agencies - Enforcement Directorate, Economic Crimes Department, Delhi Police and Income Tax Department.” This news was announced in a statement to the portal on Friday evening (October 6).

"None of these investigations over the past three years have resulted in any complaints or complaints. In fact, Probir has been granted interim immunity in these investigations. The latest FIR was registered only to circumvent such protection and make illegal arrests under the stringent UAPA law," he said.

The newspaper confirmed that it "did not receive any funding or guidance from China or Chinese entities." “Furthermore, Newsclick has never committed or attempted to encourage violence, rioting, or any form of illegal activity...”

He described the action against NewsClick as a "blatant attempt to silence India's free and independent press".

With the help of agencies

This man came to the temple to pray, but the visit did not end well for him... 😱