Delhi police conducts raid at Kerala residence of Ex-NewsClick staff

The Delhi police carried out a raid at the residence of former NewsClick employee Anusha Paul near Kodumon here and seized her laptop and phone for examination as part of a probe.

After a three-member team of the Delhi police recorded her statement and confiscated electronic devices on Friday, Paul told reporters that she was questioned about her association with NewsClick and the CPI(M).

She said the questions ranged from whether she reported on farmers' protest, anti-NRC-CAA protests, or about the Covid-19 management of the Centre.

"This is a witch-hunt to threaten the organisation and its employees who used to raise voice against the Narendra Modi government and the RSS," she said.

Paul was staying in Kerala for the treatment of a close family member.

She further said that the Delhi Police asked her whether she knows the Delhi state secretary of the CPI(M), K M Tiwari.

"Of course, I know him. I told them that. He is the state secretary of the CPI(M). I am a CPI(M) worker. I am a state committee member of Delhi unit of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and its state treasurer," she said.

Paul added that the Kerala police was not part of the raid team.

The Special Cell of the Delhi Police arrested NewsClick founder and editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha and human resources department head Amit Chakravarty on Tuesday evening, after a total of 46 journalists and contributors to the online news portal were questioned and their mobile phones and other electronic gadgets seized.