August 20, 2022

Press freedom is in crisis in the world's largest democracy

topic:	Freedom of Expression
located:	India
editor:	Hanan Zaffar

In what seems like an expected slide, in 2022's global press index ranking, India has found itself eight places lower than last year, in the company of conflict-torn countries like Somalia and Libya. Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which releases the annual ranking, specifically mentioned violence against journalists as one of the reasons that "demonstrate that press freedom is in crisis in the world's largest democracy."

The primary reason for such a nosedive of journalistic environment in the country appears to be the government's intolerance towards criticism. Numerous journalists have been arrested or booked under criminal charges across the various states of the country. Press freedom activists and international rights groups say the current ruling dispensation has been consistently intimidating journalists who do not purport the narrative of the ruling Hindu-nationalist regime. Intimidation has come in the form of arrests, charges of sedition and stretched accusations under vague laws, like those related to terrorism and national security threats. In a new trend, the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) − an anti-terror law that endows the authorities with the power to detain a person without any incriminating evidence − is being used against dissident journalists. 

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists’ 2021 jail census, there were seven Indian journalists imprisoned as of 31 December - the largest number of arrested journalists in the country since 1992. Reporters Without Borders, however, reported that there are 16 journalists in Indian prisons in 2022. 

If experts are to be believed under current circumstances, the basic task of reporting the truth has become a daunting and dangerous job in India, especially if the truth has the potential to expose the government or embarrass it in some way. RSF ranked India among the most dangerous countries for journalists in December 2021; the cases of harassment of journalists by authorities do not prove otherwise. A journalist from the southern part of India, for instance, was detained in October 2020 while on his way to report the rape of a 19-year-old girl from a marginalised section of society. He has been in prison ever since. 

Such cases make it apparent that the government's only concern regarding the country's press is to eliminate any criticism, whether of its ideology or its work. In many cases, a journalist's arrest stems from a simple social media post. For example, in the case of Muhammad Zubair, a prominent fact-checker in the country who is often at odds with the government for busting their fake claims, was arrested for tweeting a still from a decade-old Bollywood film that allegedly offended sentiments of the Hindu community. Zubair was lucky to be granted bail by the Supreme Court of India, however the majority of the journalists detained in the country have not been fortunate enough to receive a respite from the judiciary branch.

Similarly, in the disputed region of Kashmir, which has already seen attacks on journalism and journalists, particularly since the region's special status was revoked by the ruling Hindu-nationalist regime in 2019, a journalist was arrested and charged with criminal conspiracy after merely posting a video of a protest. He is still imprisoned, along with many other prominent journalists in the country, including Fahad Shah and Siddique Kapan.

It is not astonishing, then, that in the latest issue of the Press Freedom Index, India slipped from a ranking of 142 in 2021 to its current position of 150, placing this democratic country at par with authoritarian countries like Afghanistan.

Photo by Pop & Zebra 

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