In a strongly worded statement, the Editors Guild of India (EGI) on Wednesday, condemned the raids carried out at the premises of a Delhi-based news portal.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday carried out searches at eight premises of the news portal—NewsClick and at those of its promoters and editors.
Responding to the incident, the EGI raised concerns and urged that the news portal’s operations should not be undermined.
“In the recent past the website (NewsClick.in) has been at the frontline of reporting on the farmers agitation, the anti-CAA protests, and has been critical of various government policies and of a few powerful corporates houses.
“EGI is concerned that raids by government agencies are not used as coercive measures to suppress free and independent journalism. The Guild demands that care be taken to not undermine the news operations of NewsClick and that it’s journalists and stakeholders are not harassed under the garb of such measures,” the Guild’s statement read.
Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate claimed that the action was taken as per provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) based on an FIR filed by the Delhi Police.
