In India’s hardest-hit newsroom, surveilled reporters fear for their families and future journalists
M.K. Venu, a founding editor at India’s independent non-profit news site The Wire, says he has become used to having his phone tapped in the course of his career. But that didn’t diminish his shock last year when he learned that he, along with at least five others from The Wire, were among those listed…
‘An open-air prison’: Kashmiri journalists on how travel bans undermine press freedom
When Indian immigration officials stopped freelance Kashmiri journalist Aakash Hassan at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi international airport on July 26, they held him for several hours and questioned him about his family, his professional background and his reason for traveling – and refused to allow him to board his Sri Lanka flight because, they said, he was listed…
Indian tax authorities ‘survey’ media funding organization IPSMF
On the afternoon of September 7, 2022, officials with India’s Income Tax Department conducted a “survey” of the Independent and Public-Spirited Media Foundation, a philanthropic organization that provides financial support to independent digital news outlets in the country, at the foundation’s office in Bengaluru, the capital of the southern state of Karnataka, according to multiple…
Adani Group files criminal defamation suit against freelance Indian journalist Ravi Nair
New Delhi, July 28, 2022 – Indian authorities should not pursue criminal defamation charges against journalist Ravi Nair, and should ensure he can work free from legal harassment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On July 26, police in New Delhi ordered Nair to appear in a court in Gandhinagar, the capital of the…
Indian journalist Rupesh Kumar Singh arrested following 9-hour home raid
New Delhi, July 18, 2022 – Indian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Rupesh Kumar Singh, cease harassing him in retaliation for his work, and allow him to report freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On Sunday, July 17, police in the Ramgarh district of eastern Jharkhand state arrested Singh,…
CPJ calls on EU to hold India to account for media clampdown
Brussels, July 13, 2022 – The Committee to Protect Journalists on Wednesday called on the European External Action Service to hold Indian authorities accountable for widespread and severe press freedom violations when they meet for the annual India-EU Human Rights Dialogue on Friday, July 15. “The dialogue should be an opportunity for the EU to…
Indian journalist Mohammed Zubair arrested in Delhi
New Delhi, June 27, 2022 – Indian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Mohammed Zubair, and cease harassing him in retaliation for his work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. In the evening of Monday, June 27, officers with the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations unit of the Delhi police arrested Zubair, co-founder…
Indian police investigate 2 journalists following critical social media posts
New York, June 16, 2022 – Indian police must immediately drop investigations into journalists Saba Naqvi and Mohammed Zubair in response to their social media posts criticizing right-wing Hindu politics and activists, and allow all members of the press to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On June 3, police in the…
Kashmir Walla interim editor Yashraj Sharma summoned for questioning by Jammu and Kashmir authorities
New York, June 3, 2022– The Committee to Protect Journalists on Friday called on authorities in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir to immediately cease harassing and intimidating Yashraj Sharma, interim editor of the online news portal of The Kashmir Walla, and the portal’s staff. The newly created State Investigation Agency (SIA), a body of the Jammu and Kashmir police…
Indian journalist Subhash Kumar Mahto shot dead in Bihar state
New York, May 23, 2022 – Authorities in the Indian state of Bihar must thoroughly investigate the killing of journalist Subhash Kumar Mahto and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On May 20, Mahto was fatally shot outside his home in Sakho village in Bihar state’s Begusarai district, according…