Raid at NewsClick a distraction from Bihar caste survey report, alleges Congress
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New Delhi: The Congress party has criticised the BJP-led Central government for conducting searches at the residences of several NewsClick journalists in Delhi.
The party has labelled this action as a "distraction tactic" to divert attention from the explosive findings of a caste survey conducted in Bihar and the growing demand for a caste census nationwide.
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera expressed his views on the matter, stating, "Ever since the explosive figures of the caste census in Bihar came to light, the demand for a comprehensive caste census has been gaining momentum across the entire country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to be losing sleep over it."
"When questions arise that are beyond the government's comfort zone, they resort to diversionary tactics. The actions taken against the journalists associated with NewsClick today are part of this strategy," he added.
These comments came in response to the Delhi Police's Special Cell conducting searches at over 30 locations in the national capital on Tuesday October 3. The searches targeted the premises of NewsClick, an independent media outlet, and the residences of its journalists. The media organisation had been accused of receiving funds from China, prompting the investigative actions.
As of now, no arrests have been made in connection with the searches.
During the raid, the Special Cell seized various electronic items, including laptops, mobile phones, and pen drives, and conducted data dumps of hard disks at the NewsClick office and among journalists associated with the organisation. Prominent journalists such as Bhasha Singh, Abhisar Sharma, and Sanjay Rajoura were among those affected by the searches.
The residences of NewsClick writers Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and Urmilesh were also subject to search operations.
These actions have raised concerns and drawn criticism from various quarters, with many viewing them as an attempt to suppress media voices and divert attention from pressing issues such as the caste survey findings and the demand for a caste census.