Prabir Purkayastha is an Indian engineer and the founder and editor-in-chief of the news website NewsClick. He made headlines in 2023 after he was arrested by the Delhi Police in connection with a case filed against his news website under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The case was brought against NewsClick after the company was accused of accepting funds from US billionaire Neville Roy Singham for pro-China propaganda.
Wiki/Biography
Prabir Purkayastha was born in 1950 in Delhi, India (73 years old; as of 2023). He received his master’s degree from Motilal Engineering College. He completed his master’s thesis at the Indian Institute of Technology. He also studied at the School of Languages, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. While studying at JNU, Prabir was involved in student politics. In 1975, during the Emergency, Prabir Purkayastha was arrested by Jawaharlal Nehru University police while trying to prevent students from attending classes. However, it is a case of mistaken identity as the police are looking for Devi Prasad Tripathi. While in college, he wrote articles on various social issues.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′ 9″
Hair Color: Salt and Pepper
Eye color: brown
family
Parents and siblings
Prabir Purkayastha’s mother’s name was S Purkayastha.
wife and children
His wife is writer Githa Hariharan. They have a son named Pratik.
Prabir Purkayastha and wife Githa Hariharan
According to reports, he was earlier married to Ashoka Lata Jain.
Old photos of Prabir Purkayastha and Ashok Lata Jain
Affair/Girlfriend
It was reported that he was in a relationship with Ashoka Lata Jain while studying at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. According to some reports, the two later married.
Profession
Prabir Purkayastha started his career as a corporate employee. The idea for a news website came to him in 2009 while he was working as a consultant for a company. At the same time, he rented a small room as his news studio and started his own startup, NewsClick. He is also the editor-in-chief of NewsClick. Prabir is one of the founding members of Delhi Science Forum.
Prabir Purkayastha during the meeting
Purkayastha co-authored the book Enron: Corporate Capitalism and the Theft of the Global Commons (2002) with Vijay Prashad. He is also the co-author of Uncle Sam’s Nuclear Cabin (2007). In 2021, Prabir co-edited the book Journeys into Health Politics: Essays by Amit Sengupta with Indranil and Richa Chintan.
dispute
China Sponsored Bank
On October 3, 2023, Prabir Purkayastha was arrested by Delhi Police in connection with a case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against his news website NewsClick. Delhi Police claimed that NewsClick allegedly received Rs. Rs 38 crore came from a network with China links to promote pro-China content on the website. Police further said that Rs. The company allegedly collected Rs 29 crore as export service fee. FDI of Rs 9 crore was obtained by inflating share prices.
Prabir Purkayastha detained by police
Prabir’s arrest follows police raids on the homes and offices of journalists, writers, academics and contributors associated with NewsClick, confiscating mobile phones and laptops from all employees, contributors and consultants of the news portal .
Delhi Police personnel carrying materials seized in raid on NewsClick office in Delhi
Hours after the attack, the Editors Guild of India, a non-profit journalists’ organization, issued a statement urging the Center to follow due process and avoid enacting draconian laws as a tool of media intimidation. The statement read,
EGI fears these raids are yet another attempt to silence media speech. While we recognize that where actual violations of the law are involved, the law must be followed, due process must be followed. Investigations into specific crimes must not create a general atmosphere of intimidation under the shadow of a harsh law and must not infringe on freedom of expression and the voices of dissent and criticism. “
Earlier, the Delhi Special Cell registered an FIR against NewsClick under Sections 13, 16, 17, 18 and 22 of the Anti-Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Sections 153A and 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in August 2023 On the 17th, police launched an investigation after the New York Times claimed that the news website had received propaganda from the Internet in support of China and its propaganda.
Facts/Trivia
- According to some sources, he was associated with the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
- According to some sources, he suffered from high blood pressure, diabetes and asthma.
- Prabir is a champion of scientific initiatives in power, telecommunications and software.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education