Police interrogated journalists Urmilesh, Abhisar Sharma

The Delhi Police Thursday questioned journalists Urmilesh and Abhisar Sharma for a second time this week in connection with alleged funding to the NewsClick portal from China to peddle fake narrative about the central government, officials said. They reached the Delhi Police Special Cell’s office at Lodhi Colony and joined the investigation this afternoon, the officials said, adding their questioning was underway.

This comes two days after the Special Cell arrested NewsClick founder and editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha and human resources department head Amit Chakravarty in connection with the case. On Tuesday, a total of 46 journalists and contributor to the NewsClick were questioned and their mobile phones and other electronic gadgets were seized.

Sharma had said after the questioning on Tuesday he was not scared of the action and will keep asking tough question to the government. According to the remand copy the Delhi Police submitted in the court on Wednesday, the illegally routed foreign funds have been siphoned off by Purkayastha and his associates — Joseph Raj, Anoop Chakraborty (brother of Amit Chakraborty) and Bappaditya Sinha (promoter of Virtunet Systems Pvt Ltd).

The Delhi Police on Thursday opposed the applications filed for the supply of a copy of the FIR by NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha and human resources department head Amit Chakravarty, arrested in a case lodged under anti-terror law UAPA following charges that the portal had received money to spread pro-China propaganda.

Special Public Prosecutor Atul Shrivastava cited a Supreme Court judgment and said the accused has to approach the police commissioner, who would then form a committee regarding the same. He said the accused has to follow the “step-by-step procedure” prescribed by the apex court. The application filed by the accused is “premature” and they can not “directly jump before the court”, Shrivastava added.