Prabir infused funds from China to stoke Delhi riots

New Delhi : The Delhi Police has told a court here that NewsClick founder and editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha infused funds from China into India to stoke and sustain the 2020 Delhi riots, carry out disinformation campaign on Covid-19, stoke the farmer’s protest and indulge in outright terror funding in Kashmir.

Police made the allegations in its charge sheet filed before Additional Sessions Judge Hardeep Kaur, who took cognisance of it on Tuesday. The charge sheet alleged that Purkayastha used to give salaries to many employees of activist Teesta Setalvad. It said the role of another activist Gautam Navlakha’s role in the present case was under probe.

The final report alleged that Navlakha has been a shareholder of the NewsClick and his role has also emerged in the testimonies of the protected witnesses as being one of the conduits for the finance and supplies of arms and ammunition for a banned Naxal outfit. The charge sheet cited the statement made by NewsClick human resource (HR) head and accused-turned-approver, Amit Chakravarty, claiming that Purkayastha used to give salaries to many employees of Setalvad “as FCRA of Teesta got stopped due to some litigation”.

“Teesta was funded with the directions that she would spend the money to spread communal agenda and disharmony in society through her NGO Sabrang, her husband and others. Payments were made to her husband, daughter, son, and other staff members,” the statement said. The statement claimed that Purkayastha used to receive illegal funds from different companies owned by Neville Roy Singham, a US national of Sri Lankan descent, who, “for the last one decade at least, has been vigorously peddling the Maoist thought, apparently at the behest of his paymasters who, at this stage, by way of deduction, can be referred to as being either China-sponsored or a part of the Chinese Deep State.