INDIA-CHINA TANGO TESTS FLUID METRICS OF PATRIOTISM

THE Delhi Police arrested Prabir Purkayastha, editor of NewsClick, on October 3, 2023, as part of an investigation into allegations of Chinese funding for his media platform.

- C P SURENDRAN

The proceedings were initiated under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), which is typically applied in cases involving terrorism and national security. Those who go in under the Act tend to not come out soon.

The investigations against the journalist gained momentum following a report by The New York Times—ironically enough, a great bastion of the brown-in-skin, white-at-heart Indian liberal—on August 5, which claimed the news channel received significant financial support from Neville Roy Singham, an American billionaire and founder of a tech company.

Singham denied the allegations and said he had no ties to the Chinese government. I had critiqued NYT and the government in a column of mine at the time. There were confused cries of protest and outrage from both sides of the spectrum. There were, too, lusty demands for prosecuting Singham on vague and vengeful patriotic aspirations as the money he allegedly piped in promoted Chinese interests. Nothing came off the patriotic fervor against Singham. Or China, as it turns out.

On May 15, 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that Purkayastha's arrest was illegal, citing the Enforcement Directorate's failure to provide proper written grounds for his detention. He was released on bail.

Some two months later, on July 24, the finance ministry tabled the Economic Survey of India for 2023-2024, and discreetly advised a 'nuanced' approach to China in terms of foreign direct investments. Essentially, the Survey recommended opening doors to the Chinese capital. It seemed to surprise few, certainly none of them patriots.