Delhi Police seals UNI office over land dispute; journalists allege manhandling

The office of the United News of India (UNI), one of India's oldest news agencies, located at 9 Rafi Marg in New Delhi, was sealed by the Delhi Police on Friday, March 20, 2026. This action was taken pursuant to an order from the Delhi High Court, which upheld the cancellation of the news agency's land allotment. The core of the dispute revolves around a land allotment made to UNI in 1979 by the Land and Development Office (L&DO) under the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The primary condition of this allotment was the construction of a composite office building within a stipulated timeframe. However, for over four decades, UNI allegedly failed to undertake any construction on the 5,289.52 sq meter plot, which has an estimated value of approximately Rs 409 crore, constituting a significant and fundamental violation of the allotment terms. The High Court had earlier dismissed UNI's petition challenging the cancellation, observing that "valuable public land has effectively been held hostage by a licensee (UNI) who has failed to perform its obligations for decades." UNI had cited financial constraints and pending approvals for the delays, but the court rejected these contentions. The sealing operation saw the deployment of Delhi Police personnel, along with paramilitary forces, at the UNI premises. While the police maintained that due legal procedure was followed and the entire process was videographed, UNI staff and the news agency itself presented a starkly different account of the events. UNI alleged that staff members were forcibly evicted from the office, with many not being allowed to retrieve their personal belongings. More serious allegations included the manhandling of female journalists by police teams during the confrontation. Purported videos shared on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) by UNI and its owner, The Statesman, reportedly showed a woman police officer allegedly manhandling a female journalist, causing her to lose balance and fall to the ground. Furthermore, UNI claimed that some Delhi Police personnel involved in the operation were intoxicated while on duty and verbally abused several individuals, including lawyers. Staffers also stated that they were not shown any official notice and were not given adequate time to respond or contact their management before being forced out. Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Sachin Sharma, however, refuted these allegations, stating that the legal process was adhered to, and no wrongdoing occurred as everything was videographed. He confirmed that the police's role was to provide security to the Land and Development Office officials as they took possession of the premises following the High Court's order. The incident immediately drew strong reactions, with UNI itself terming the sealing an "attack on press freedom." Political figures, including CPI MP P. Sandhosh Kumar, echoed these sentiments, calling the forcible takeover a "grave and unprecedented assault on press freedom in India" and expressing concerns about the potential misuse of state power to silence the media. Media bodies and advocates for press freedom have also raised questions about the manner of the operation and its broader implications for independent journalism in the country. This sealing comes against a backdrop of long-standing financial difficulties for UNI. The agency has been struggling for years, with partial salaries unpaid for its permanent staff, leading to an insolvency suit initiated by its employee union. In March 2025, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approved a plan for The Statesman Ltd, a major shareholder, to acquire UNI for Rs 75 crore, aimed at settling debts and reviving the agency. However, this resolution plan has been challenged by former employees who allege it was maneuvered and that they received only a fraction of their due payments. The sealing of the Rafi Marg office further complicates the future of the beleaguered news agency and its operations, which served over 500 subscribers.

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