New Delhi: India, which claims to be the biggest democracy in the world, has the highest number of journalists killed in retaliation for their work this year, according to a Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) report.
Moreover, India has been listed under countries considered “bad” for journalism and is among the most dangerous places in the world for journalists, according to Reporters Without Borders, which published its 2021 World Press Freedom Index. For the second successive year, India has ranked 142 among 180 countries on the Index.
BJP supporters and the Hindutva ideology have created an environment of intimidation for journalists who are critical of the government by labelling them as “anti-national” or “anti-state”. Journalists are exposed to every kind of attack, including police violence against reporters, ambushes by political activists, and reprisals instigated by criminal groups or corrupt local officials.
The coordinated hate campaigns waged on social networks against journalists who dare to speak or write about subjects that annoy Hindutva followers are terrifying and include calls for the journalists concerned to be murdered. From May 2019 to August 2021, 256 journalists were attacked for doing their job. Journalism has become a crime in India. In 2017, prominent journalist Gauri Lankesh, known for her outspoken criticism, was shot dead in Bangalore.
Rana Ayyub a famous journalist who has exposed Modi and CM of Gujarat in “Gujarat Files” is prime victim of a campaign of intimidation by Indian authorities as evident in her interview in BBC Hardtalk’s Stephen Sackur. She has exposed Indian government which “tried every tool in the book to silence her voice and journalism”. Even UN has exposed India’s true face by publishing a report on the use of excessive force by police on public roads against Journalists and HR defenders. Web Desk
