Delhi Police gave us no FIR, neither reveal offences: NewsCLick on office raids
New Delhi(PTI): NewsClick on Wednesday issued a statement on Delhi Police raids at its premises claiming it has not been provided a copy of FIR, or informed about the offences people associated with it have been charged with.
"Yesterday, raids were carried out by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police at various locations including Newsclick's offices, residences of journalists and employees. We have not been provided with a copy of the FIR, or informed about the exact particulars of the offences with which we have been charged," NewsClick said in a statement.
The online news portal claimed that police seized electronic devices from its premises and houses of employees without any due process such as the provision of seizure memos, hash values of the seized data, or even copies of the data.
"Newsclick's office has also been sealed in a blatant attempt at preventing us from continuing our reporting," the statement read.
"We strongly condemn these actions of a Government that refuses to respect journalistic independence, and treats criticism as sedition or 'anti-national' propaganda," it added.
The website claimed it has been targeted by various central government agencies since 2021 with its offices and houses of its staffers raided by the Enforcement Directorate, the Economic Offences Wing of Delhi Police, and the Income Tax Department.
"What we have been able to gather is that Newsclick stands accused of offences under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), for purportedly carrying Chinese propaganda on its website. All devices, laptops, gadgets, phones, etc have been seized in the past. All emails and communications have been analysed under the microscope," the statement by NewsClick read.
It also claimed different government agencies have scrutinised its bank statements, invoices, expenses and sources of funds in the last several years.
"... yet, in the last two years, the ED has not been able to file a complaint accusing Newsclick of money laundering. The Economic Offences Wing of Delhi Police has not been able to file a charge sheet against Newsclick for offences under the Indian Penal Code," neither the Income Tax Department has been able to defend its actions before the Courts of law, it said.
NewsClick said its founder Prabir Purkayastha has not even been called in for questioning by any of these agencies in the last several months.
It said NewsClick is an independent news website and that its journalistic content is based on "the highest standards" of the profession.
"Newsclick does not publish any news or information at the behest of any Chinese entity or authority, directly or indirectly. We do not propagate Chinese propaganda on its website and do not take directions from Neville Roy Singham regarding the content published on its website," the statement said.
It claimed its funding has come through appropriate banking channels and have been reported to the authorities.
"The Special Cell of Delhi Police has not referred to a single article or video that they consider to be Chinese propaganda. Indeed, the line of questioning adopted by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police regarding reportage on the Delhi riots, the farmers protests etc, all demonstrate the motivated and malicious intent behind the present proceedings," NewsClick alleged.
NewsClick founder Purkayastha and HR head Amit Chakravarty, arrested in a case filed under the anti-terror law UAPA following allegations the portal received money for pro-China propaganda, were sent to seven days of police remand, officials said on Wednesday.
Police on Tuesday searched more than 30 locations connected with NewsClick, questioned several of its journalists, and arrested Purkayastha and Chakravarty.
Officials earlier said 46 "suspects" were questioned and digital devices, including laptops and mobile phones, and documents were taken away for examination.
The searches began in the morning and were concentrated in the Delhi-NCR.
Among those questioned were journalists Urmilesh, Aunindyo Chakravarty, Abhisar Sharma, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta as well as historian Sohail Hashmi, satirist Sanjay Rajoura and D Raghunandan of the Centre for Technology & Development.
After being questioned for over six hours, they were allowed to go.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
===================
The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
