Prabir Purkayastha (NewsClick) Wiki, Age, Wife, Net Worth, Family, Education & Biography
Prabir Purkayastha is a prominent Indian journalist, activist, and engineer. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of NewsClick, an online news portal that covers politics, economy, culture, and sports from a progressive and critical perspective. He is also a founding member of the Delhi Science Forum and the president of the Free Software Movement of India. He has been arrested by the Delhi Police under the anti-terror law UAPA for allegedly receiving funds from foreign sources for pro-China propaganda.
Early Life, Age & Bio
Prabir Purkayastha was born on 1 November 1949 in Kolkata, West Bengal. As of 2023, Prabir is 74 years old. He belongs to a Bengali Brahmin family. His father was a civil engineer and his mother was a homemaker. He has a younger brother named Rahul Purkayastha, who is a software engineer.
Education
Prabir Purkayastha completed his schooling at St. Xavier’s Collegiate School in Kolkata. He then pursued his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur. He later moved to Allahabad to study for his master’s degree in computer science at the Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT). He also obtained a diploma in management from the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta.
Career and Activism
Prabir Purkayastha started his career as a software engineer in the Indian Telephone Industries (ITI) in Bangalore. He worked there for about 10 years and was involved in developing software for digital switching systems. He also participated in various trade union activities and was elected as the general secretary of the ITI Employees Union.
In 1984, he left ITI and joined the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), a government-owned research and development organization for telecommunications. He worked there as a senior scientist and project leader for about 15 years. He was instrumental in developing India’s first indigenous digital switching system, Rural Automatic Exchange (RAX).
Prabir Purkayastha was also active in various social movements and campaigns related to science, technology, environment, and human rights. He was one of the founding members of the Delhi Science Forum (DSF), a group of scientists and activists that advocates for scientific temper, rationality, and social justice. He was also involved in the People’s Science Movement (PSM), a network of grassroots organizations that promotes scientific literacy and awareness among the masses.
In 1998, he co-founded the Free Software Movement of India (FSMI), a coalition of organizations that promotes the use and development of free and open-source software in India. He has been a vocal advocate of software freedom, digital sovereignty, and data privacy. He has also written several books and articles on these topics.
In 2009, he launched NewsClick, an online news portal that covers various issues related to politics, economy, culture, and sports from a progressive and critical perspective. He serves as the editor-in-chief and director of NewsClick. He also hosts several shows and podcasts on NewsClick, such as ‘Talking Science’, ‘Mapping Faultlines’, ‘Indian Economy’, and ‘Global Roundup’.
What is NewsClick?
NewsClick is an online news portal that covers politics, economy, culture, and sports from a progressive perspective. It was founded in 2009 by Prabir Purkayastha, a journalist, engineer, and activist. NewsClick has a team of journalists, editors, videographers, and contributors who produce articles, videos, podcasts, and documentaries on various issues affecting India and the world. NewsClick also receives support from various national and international awards for its impact and excellence in journalism.
Awards
NewsClick has been recognized for its impact and excellence in journalism by various national and international awards. Some of them are:
- RedInk Award for Excellence in Journalism 2019 for the best web news portal.
- Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award 2019 for investigative reporting on the Rafale deal scam.
- International Press Institute India Award for Excellence in Journalism 2020 for exposing the Delhi riots conspiracy.
- One World Media Award 2020 for the best documentary on Kashmir lockdown.
- Lorenzo Natali Media Prize 2020 for the best human rights journalism on the Citizenship Amendment Act protests.
- Asian Media Awards 2021 for the best news website in Asia.
Wiki/BIO
| Name | Prabir Purkayastha |
| Date of Birth | 1 November 1949 |
| Place of Birth | Kolkata, West Bengal |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Caste | Brahmin |
| Education | B.E. in Electrical Engineering from University of Calcutta; M.Tech in Computer Science from University of Allahabad; Diploma in Management from Indian Institute of Management Calcutta |
| Occupation | Journalist, Activist, Engineer |
| Position | Founder and Editor-in-Chief of NewsClick; Founding Member of Delhi Science Forum; President of Free Software Movement of India |
| Net worth | Rs. 10 crore ($1.3 million) |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse | Githa Hariharan (Novelist) |
| Children | Rishi Purkayastha (Filmmaker); Arjun Purkayastha (Musician) |
| Siblings | Rahul Purkayastha |
| prabir.purkayastha | |
| Wikipedia | NewsClick |
| purkayastha.prabir | |
| Homepage | newsunzip.com |
Wife & Children
Prabir Purkayastha is married to Githa Hariharan, a renowned Indian novelist and essayist. They have two sons named Rishi Purkayastha and Arjun Purkayastha. Rishi is a filmmaker and Arjun is a musician.
Prabir Purkayastha lives in Saket, New Delhi with his family. He is an avid reader and enjoys listening to classical music.
Family Members
- His father was Mr. S Purkayastha, a civil engineer who worked for the government of West Bengal. He passed away in 2016 at the age of 92.
- His mother was Mrs. S Purkayastha, a homemaker who raised Prabir and his brother with love and care. She also supported Prabir’s activism and journalism. She filed a parole application for Prabir when he was arrested during the Emergency in 1975. She is still alive and lives with Prabir’s family in Delhi.
- His brother is Rahul Purkayastha, a software engineer who graduated from IIT Kharagpur. He is currently working as a senior vice president at Genpact, a global professional services firm. He is married and has two children. He is also active on social media and often shares his views on various issues.
Net worth and Income
Prabir Purkayastha’s net worth is estimated to be around Rs. 10 crores ($1.3 million). His main source of income is his salary as the editor-in-chief and director of NewsClick. He also earns from his books, articles, lectures, and consultancy services.
Case and Arrest
On 3 October 2023, Prabir Purkayastha was arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), an anti-terror law that allows detention without trial for up to six months. He was accused of receiving funds from foreign sources for pro-China propaganda through NewsClick.
The case was registered after a New York Times investigation alleged that NewsClick had received funding from a network linked to Neville Roy Singham, a US-based millionaire who is known for his support for China and its policies. The investigation claimed that Singham had transferred about Rs. 28 crores ($3.7 million) to NewsClick through various entities such as Justice and Education Fund Inc USA, The Tricontinental Ltd Belgium, Indo-Mexican Cultural Association Mexico, etc.
The Delhi Police claimed that these funds were used to fuel anti-India activities and create unrest in the country. They also alleged that Prabir Purkayastha had links with Gautam Navlakha, a human rights activist and journalist who is also accused of being involved in the Bhima Koregaon violence case and having ties with the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).
The Delhi Police also searched and sealed the office of NewsClick and its affiliated firms in Delhi. They questioned several journalists, activists, and academics associated with NewsClick, such as Urmilesh, Aunindyo Chakravarty, Abhisar Sharma, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Sohail Hashmi, Sanjay Rajoura, and D Raghunandan. They also seized several digital devices, documents, and bank accounts related to NewsClick.
Prabir Purkayastha was taken to the Special Cell’s office for interrogation. He was later produced before a court and remanded to seven days of police custody.
Reactions and Support
The arrest of Purkayastha has sparked widespread outrage and condemnation from various quarters. Many journalists, activists, intellectuals, and civil society groups have denounced the arrest as an attack on press freedom, democracy, and dissent. They have demanded his immediate release and the withdrawal of the UAPA charges.
Some of the prominent personalities and organizations that have expressed their solidarity with Prabir Purkayastha and NewsClick are:
- Arundhati Roy, Booker Prize-winning author and activist
- P Sainath, veteran journalist and founder-editor of People’s Archive of Rural India
- N Ram, former editor-in-chief of The Hindu
- Rajdeep Sardesai, senior journalist and consulting editor of India Today
- Ravish Kumar, senior journalist and anchor of NDTV
- Prashant Bhushan, senior lawyer and activist
- Medha Patkar, social activist and leader of Narmada Bachao Andolan
- Aruna Roy, social activist and founder-member of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan
- Yogendra Yadav, political analyst and founder-member of Swaraj India
- Harsh Mander, human rights activist, and former IAS officer
- Teesta Setalvad, human rights activist and journalist
- Anand Patwardhan, documentary filmmaker and activist
- Romila Thapar, eminent historian and professor emerita at Jawaharlal Nehru University
- Noam Chomsky, world-renowned linguist and political commentator
- Vijay Prashad, Marxist historian and director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research
- John Pilger, award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker
- Reporters Without Borders (RSF), is an international non-governmental organization that defends press freedom
- Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an independent non-profit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide
- International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), a global union federation of journalists’ trade unions
- Editors Guild of India (EGI), a professional association of editors of newspapers and magazines in India
- Press Club of India (PCI), a club for journalists in India
- Indian Women’s Press Corps (IWPC), an association of women journalists in India
NewsClick founder arrested under anti-terror law after raids
On Tuesday, October 3, 2023, the Delhi Police Special Cell arrested Prabir Purkayastha, the founder and editor-in-chief of NewsClick, an online news portal known for its critical coverage of the Indian government. Purkayastha was arrested along with Amit Chakravarty, the head of human resources of the company, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), a draconian anti-terrorism law that makes it difficult to get bail.
What happened?
The arrests were preceded by massive raids at over 50 locations in Delhi and Mumbai, including the offices of NewsClick and the residences of several journalists, authors, and activists associated with the portal. The police seized laptops, mobile phones, documents, and bank statements from the raided premises and questioned more than 40 people for hours.
The police claimed that they were investigating a case of foreign funding received by NewsClick for allegedly spreading pro-China propaganda. The case was registered in August 2021 after a report by The New York Times alleged that NewsClick had received millions of dollars from an American millionaire named Neville Roy Singham, who had close ties with the Chinese government and its media outlets.
Why is it important?
The arrests and raids on NewsClick have sparked outrage and condemnation from various quarters, including journalists’ unions, civil society groups, opposition parties, and international human rights organizations. They have accused the Indian government of using the UAPA as a tool to silence dissenting voices and intimidate independent media.
NewsClick is one of the few online platforms in India that has consistently reported on issues such as farmers’ protests, citizenship law protests, caste violence, human rights violations, and corruption scandals. It has also featured interviews with prominent intellectuals, activists, and artists who have been critical of the government’s policies and actions.
The UAPA is a controversial law that allows the government to designate any individual or organization as a terrorist without any judicial oversight. It also gives sweeping powers to the police to arrest, detain, search, and seize property without a warrant. The law has been widely criticized for violating fundamental rights and due process guarantees enshrined in the Indian constitution.
According to data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), between 2016 and 2019, a total of 5,922 people were arrested under the UAPA in India, but only 132 were convicted. The conviction rate under the UAPA was 2.2% in 2019, compared to 50.4% for all crimes under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
What are the implications?
The arrests and raids on NewsClick have raised serious concerns about the state of press freedom and democracy in India. According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), an advocacy group for journalists, India ranked 161st out of 180 countries in its World Press Freedom Index in 2023. It said that the situation in India had deteriorated from “problematic” to “very bad” and compared it with Tajikistan (153rd) and Turkey (165th).
RSF also said that India was one of the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists trying to do their job properly. It cited several cases of journalists being killed, attacked, harassed, arrested, or threatened for reporting on sensitive issues such as communal violence, political corruption, environmental degradation, or human rights abuses.
The arrests and raids on NewsClick have also highlighted the growing influence of China in India’s media landscape. According to a report by the Oxford Internet Institute (OII), a research center at Oxford University, China has been using various strategies to shape public opinion and discourse in India through its state-controlled media outlets, social media platforms, content-sharing apps, and online influencers.
The report said that China’s media influence operations in India aimed to promote a positive image of China, counter negative narratives about its policies and actions, and undermine India’s strategic interests and partnerships. The report also warned that China’s media influence operations posed a threat to India’s information sovereignty and democratic values.
Conclusion
Prabir Purkayastha is a well-known journalist, activist, and engineer who has made significant contributions to the fields of science, technology, media, and social justice. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of NewsClick, an online news portal that provides alternative and critical perspectives on various issues.
He has been arrested by the Delhi Police under the UAPA for allegedly receiving funds from foreign sources for pro-China propaganda. His arrest has been widely criticized as a violation of press freedom, democracy, and dissent. He has received support from various sections of society who have demanded his immediate release and the dropping of the UAPA charges.
