Chhattisgarh’s plan for journalist safety law could be template for all India
Every day for two years, freelance journalist Santosh Yadav must walk the 50 or so yards from his home to the Darbha village police station in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, to sign a register. Just one missed day could immediately land him back in prison as he awaits trial on anti-terror charges. A police commander said that…
CPJ calls on Jammu and Kashmir police to drop charges against journalist
New York, February 7, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Jammu and Kashmir police to immediately cease all legal proceedings against journalist Aasif Sultan and release him from jail after local news outlets reported that formal charges were filed against him today.
Indian TV crew assaulted by Hindu far-right protesters over Sabarimala shrine coverage
Two journalists from independent Telugu-language news channel Mojo TV were harassed and assaulted by members of a right-wing group in the city of Hyderabad, India, on January 23, 2019, one of the reporters told the Committee to Protect Journalists. Reporter Prathibha Priyadarshani Mukkera and camera person Bhanu Mudhiraj were covering a protest when demonstrators attacked…
India bars journalists in Jammu and Kashmir from covering Republic Day event
New Delhi, India, January 29, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on authorities in the Indian-controlled state of Jammu and Kashmir to stop restricting press coverage of events in the restive state, after 10 photo and video journalists from local, national, and international media organizations were barred from covering a government function…
Four Kashmiri photojournalists hit by pellet-gun fire from Indian security forces
New Delhi, January 23, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists called on authorities in Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir state to fully investigate an incident yesterday in which four photojournalists were hit by pellet-gun fire from security forces in Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir state. The journalists were hit while covering a clash between protesters and security forces…
Conviction obtained in 2002 murder of Indian journalist Ram Chandler Chaterpatti
Washington, D.C., January 11, 2019 – India’s Central Bureau of Investigation obtained convictions today in the 2002 murder of journalist Ram Chandler Chaterpatti, editor of the Hindi-language newspaper Poora Sach, according to news reports. The CBI court in Panchkula, Haryana state, convicted Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, head of the religious group Dera Sacha Sauda, and…
Indian government expels two foreign journalists for visa violations
Two foreign journalists were barred from entering India for allegedly violating visa rules in late December 2018 and early January 2019, according to press reports. On December 28, 2018, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported that Cathal McNaughton, the chief photographer with Reuters’ Delhi office, had been denied reentry into the country for allegedly traveling…
Hundreds of journalists jailed globally becomes the new normal
For the third year in a row, 251 or more journalists are jailed around the world, suggesting the authoritarian approach to critical news coverage is more than a temporary spike. China, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia imprisoned more journalists than last year, and Turkey remained the world’s worst jailer. A CPJ special report by Elana Beiser
Kashmiri journalists face multiple restrictions, attacks in October
Journalists in Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir faced numerous incidents of restrictions and attacks between October 8 and October 30, 2018. During this period, journalists attempted to cover urban local elections in the state, as well as events surrounding the killing of militant commander Manan Wani by the security forces.