Home to approximately 1,600 satellite channels, 17,000 newspapers, 100,000 magazines and over 370 radio stations, India is one of the largest media markets in the world. But as conflict continues to rise under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, journalists are increasingly restricted on what they can and cannot report.
The latest account of such interference was reported by The New York Times on Friday, April 2. Vinesh Kunhiraman, an anchor for The Media One, was five minutes into his segment on March 6 that was going to commemorate the one-year death anniversary of a Kerala comedian and give the latest updates on the coronavirus, when India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting cut the station’s broadcast and blocked the channel for 48 hours. While the Ministry didn’t have any particular issue with the broadcast that day, they weren’t too pleased on Feb. 6, when The Media One reported on the mob attacks taking place in New Delhi in a manner that was seemingly critical toward the Delhi Police and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a pro-Modi, right-wing, Hindu nationalist organization.
Although India’s Constitution does not explicitly state freedom of the press, it can be traced back to 1780 when James August Hickey started a publication called the Bengal Gazette. While Hickey was arrested for criticizing the government’s policies and the East India Company, his paper started the widespread publication and distribution of newspapers throughout the country. Many of these papers abided by the government’s policies and were allowed to continue publishing content, thus establishing the beginnings of free press in India. Over time, these newspapers began to take risks and slowly began publishing content that criticized cultural norms, casteism and the government.
The diversity of coverage throughout the country was quite impressive until Modi’s election in 2014, when he and his party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), began to make several attempts to restrict the rights of journalists. In an attempt to reduce content that criticizes Modi and the BJP, the country is no longer a safe space for journalists. Fifteen journalists have been killed in India since 2014 and several have been injured in the process of covering the Kashmir conflict that began approximately a year ago, as well as the mob attacks against the Muslim population in New Delhi.
Not only has Modi been shutting down any news outlet that criticizes him, he has cut advertising from those that support the Muslim population in India and he has refused to give press briefings. The motive behind Modi’s tactics is much larger than a fragile ego; he is trying to push an agenda in which India becomes a Hindu country, and in turn, the safety of journalists is being compromised. I can’t help but think how the situation in India is becoming very reminiscent of the one that left Jamal Khashoggi assassinated.
As journalists, their primary job is to report the facts. They are simply messengers, and if the facts reflect poorly on you and your party, that’s not a free pass for you to send your supporters after them and have them raped and killed. In a country where free press was a such a large contributing factor to its independence and democracy, it’s disheartening to see it being restricted in such a manner. I’m grateful to live in a country that will protect me and my rights as a journalist, but as a South Asian, my heart breaks for all the reporters that don’t have the luxury of feeling safe in the place they call home. To the residents of India, please do everything in your power to protect journalists and free press, they are the only ones that can hold government officials accountable for their actions. You may not see their value now, but when they can no longer protect you, you’re going to wish you had protected them when you had the chance.
Drashti Mehta is a junior journalism major with minors in political science and public relations. She aspires to give a voice to marginalized communities and can be found on Twitter @drashmehta.
