Police on Friday sealed news agency UNI’s premises on 9 Rafi Marg, citing a high court order.

The news agency and its owner, The Statesman, put out photos and videos of the police having altercations with the employees.

UNI said in a post on X: “The sealing of the office of United News of India (UNI), one of the country’s oldest and most respected news agencies, has raised serious concerns over press freedom. Staff members were forcibly evicted, with several not allowed to retrieve their personal belongings. Female journalists were manhandled by teams of Delhi Police. Some Delhi Police personnel were intoxicated while on duty. Two lawyers and Delhi Police personnel abused several individuals.”

Senior Delhi police officials dismissed the UNI’s allegations that some cops were intoxicated and manhandled female employees.

“Due legal process was followed and no action beyond the ambit of the law was taken. We have videographed the entire sequence of events,” said a police official.

CPI MP P. Sandhosh Kumar said in a statement: “The forcible takeover of the Rafi Marg office of UNI... by the Delhi police is a grave and unprecedented assault on press freedom in India… The entire operation was carried out with shocking disregard for legality, dignity and democratic norms. The image of journalists being beaten inside their own newsroom is a chilling reminder of how fragile media freedom has become in India today.

“That this action followed swiftly, reportedly at the behest of the Delhi lieutenant governor, and was executed by a police force functioning directly under the Union home minister Amit Shah, raises serious concerns about the misuse of state power to intimidate and silence the media. This is not an isolated incident but part of a dangerous pattern where institutions are being bent to serve political ends.”

UNI has challenged an order issued by the land and development office under the housing ministry, asking it to vacate the premises after it failed to construct a proposed composite office complex.

Delhi High Court had dismissed UNI’s plea, observing that the “valuable public land has effectively been held hostage by a licensee (UNI) who has failed to perform its obligations for decades”.