The Delhi Police Special Cell has levelled allegations of ‘transnational criminal conspiracy’ against NewsClick and its founder Prabir Purkayastha. In its chargesheet, the Delhi Police has made a reference to World War III, asserting a deeper plot to propagate ‘information warfare’.
India Today exclusively accessed the chargesheet filed by the police. In it, the police stated, “The investigation has brought to life Marshal McLuhan’s saying that ‘World War III is a guerrilla information war with no division between military and civilian participation.'”
The chargesheet alleges that American millionaire Neville Roy Singham and Prabir Purkayastha, long-standing associates, have been involved in peddling Maoist thought, possibly at the behest of their paymasters, which the chargesheet implies could be China-sponsored or linked to the Chinese Deep State.
‘INFORMATION WARFARE’
Police alleged that under the guise of a scientific project, Singham and Purkayastha attempted to expand the map of Pakistan to include certain Indian territories of Jammu and Kashmir as internationally recognised Pakistani land parcels. Similarly, they altered the Chinese map to include Aksai Chin, an integral part of India, and claimed Arunachal Pradesh as a “disputed territory.”
The charge sheet describes this tactic as a well-known Information Warfare strategy aimed at creating discordant perceptions before diplomatic and military claims enter the geo-strategic discourse.
‘SPREAD MISINFORMATION DURING 2019 POLLS’
The Delhi Police said its investigation uncovered revelations about PPK NewsClick, which was allegedly used to spread misinformation and false narratives to interfere in the democratic election process of 2019.
“It has been found that the platform was used to disseminate articles containing inaccurate claims and narratives that were designed to undermine the policies of State and support anti-national forces,” the chargesheet states.
DEEPER PLOT UNEARTHED
Emails exchanged between Neville and Purkayastha from as early as June and September 2016 reveal a deeper plot to propagate ‘information warfare’ aimed at subverting a nation’s psyche and encouraging separatism across divergent ideological axes to weaken the state, the chargesheet mentioned.
According to the charge sheet, evidence from protected witnesses indicates that funds routed through companies established by Neville originated from the ruling dispensation of a neighbouring country known for “engaging in information warfare as a state policy tool”.
The charge sheet also alleges massive overvaluation of PPK’s share prices to receive substantial amounts as “subscription money,” and the conversion of PP NewsClick Studio LLP into PPK, a highly overpriced legal entity, without any change in objectives or credible business model.
A novel mode of receiving foreign funds was allegedly adopted by Neville, Prabir, and their cohorts. The chargesheet said that the evidence on file showed that while creating and uploading paid news content was already underway, the process evolved into ‘paid for paid news’ creation.
‘THE CHINA TEAM’
The Delhi Police Special Cell has alleged that ‘The China Team’ was created during Covid-19, referring to email communications between Neville, Vijay Prasad, Purkayastha and their associates, which said ‘HI CHINA TEAM’
The chargesheet said the creation of ‘The China Team’ during Covid-19, as evidenced by email communications between Neville, Vijay Prasad, Prabir, and associates, allegedly pursued pro-Chinese propaganda despite international criticism.
The chargesheet mentioned that Purkayastha was nudged to pedal the Chinese version and to act as a paid instrumentality of the Chinese State in propagating its narrative during the pandemic.
Witnesses reportedly affirmed this pro-China/pro-false propaganda agenda being pursued by Prabir and his news team through articles and videos produced during the Covid-19 period.
Source Agencies
