Three journalists targeted in Assam, spotlighting legal attacks on the press press
Global press freedom organisation, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has criticised Assam Police for filing criminal complaints targetting The Wire, its editor-in-chief Siddharth Varadarajan, senior journalist Karan Thapar, and independent journalist Abhisar Sharma.
In a press statement, RSF says that the cases are based on Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), a law that replaces the colonial-era sedition law but is seen by many as equally repressive.
The statement adds that the first case was filed on May 9 over reports and interviews published by The Wire on India-Pakistan tensions following a terror attack in Kashmir. The second came on July 11, filed by a BJP-linked lawyer, alleging that an article on the loss of a military aircraft during Operation Sindoor endangered national unity. The third complaint, on August 21, targeted Sharma for a video criticising Assam’s Chief Minister.
Although the first complaint remained inactive for months, on August 12, Assam police suddenly issued summonses to Varadarajan and Thapar. Hours earlier, the Supreme Court had granted them protection from arrest in the July case. Similar relief was extended for the May case on August 22. Abhisar Sharma was also granted four weeks’ protection from arrest on August 28.
RSF has condemned the cases, calling them “absurd” and a threat to democratic journalism. The Supreme Court responded by granting protection from arrest to the journalists and The Wire’s parent foundation, while urging full cooperation with investigations.
The next hearing is set for September 15. Meanwhile, The Wire has challenged Section 152 in court, arguing it mirrors the sedition law suspended in 2022. Critics say the law is being used to silence independent voices. As legal pressure mounts, the spotlight remains on how India balances national security concerns with the right to free expression.