RSF urges action against attackers of environment journalist Sneha Barve
Calls for accountability, legal action and protection for environmental reporters
Sneha Barve was assaulted by a group of men, including the contractor Padurang Morde, who allegedly struck her with wooden bars: RSF
International non-profit organisation advocating for press freedom, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), has called on Indian authorities to ensure legal action is taken against those responsible for the assault of journalist Sneha Barve, who was attacked on July 4 while reporting on an environmental issue in Maharashtra.
Sneha Barve was assaulted by a group of men, including the contractor Padurang Morde, who allegedly struck her with wooden bars: RSF
Press freedom organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF), has called on Indian authorities to take legal action against those responsible for assaulting Sneha Barve, a journalist, while she was investigating an illegal construction site on a riverbed in Manchar, Maharashtra.
In a press statement, RSF says that Barve was assaulted by a group of men, including the contractor Padurang Morde, who allegedly struck her with wooden bars.
RSF says that despite video evidence and eyewitness reports, the authorities have delayed arrests and failed to apply relevant laws meant to protect journalists. RSF says it has demanded reclassification of the charges, immediate arrests, and an impartial investigation into the incident.
It adds that Barve sustained head trauma, facial fractures and back injuries. RSF says that residents had reported the site as a potential flood risk, but when Barve arrived to investigate, she was surrounded by a group of men, including Morde. The men began striking her with wooden bars, and video footage shows the assault continuing even after she lost consciousness. Barve remained unconscious for nearly 48 hours and is still receiving medical treatment.
“The images of Sneha Barve’s attack are devastating. The violent nature of this attack on a journalist while reporting calls for proportional punishment of the alleged perpetrators. These acts clearly amount to attempted murder and must be qualified as such. RSF calls for the charges to be recharacterised, for the attackers to be arrested and for an impartial and effective investigation to be carried out, so that these criminals can be brought to justice. This heinous crime cannot go unpunished. The challenges Sneha Barve faced in lodging a complaint also necessitate an internal police investigation,” says Anne Bocandé, Editorial Director, RSF.
The non-profit organisation says that, despite clear video evidence, local police were initially unwilling to register the complaint. It was only after public outcry over the video that the police filed the case, though they did not include attempted homicide charges. Instead, the incident was recorded as involving “serious injury,” “intimidation,” and “unlawful assembly.”
The statement says that this classification overlooks the Maharashtra Media Persons and Media Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act, 2017, which applies to journalists assaulted in the course of their work and carries penalties of up to three years in prison.
RSF says that since the attack, Barve’s family has been subjected to intimidation, as members connected to the alleged attackers have visited her village and verbally harassed her relatives.
The press freedom organisation says that the main suspects, including the contractor, remain unarrested. According to the police, the contractor is in hospital with a fractured foot. However, RSF states that this explanation is disputed by both medical and judicial sources.
RSF says that Barve has reported on environmental issues for several years, including cases involving links between local politicians and industry. In July 2024, she filed a complaint after receiving death threats for a report involving a former MP, but the complaint was dismissed. In February 2025, she was assaulted outside her office after reporting on poor road conditions.
RSF states that, since 2014, 13 out of 28 journalists killed in India were covering environmental issues. It has recorded 33 cases of violence against environmental journalists in India since 2013. India currently ranks 159th out of 180 countries in the 2024 RSF World Press Freedom Index, reflecting the broader environment in which journalists like Sneha Barve continue to operate.
“I will return to work as soon as I have recovered, just over two weeks after the attack, I do not intend to stop fighting corruption,” Barve told RSF.
