Press freedom at stake in India

Text Amrita Cheema, DW New Delhi Bureau Chief

“Are you next?”, I was frequently asked after the BBC offices were raided by income tax authorities in mid-February. The “survey” to investigate financial irregularities at the BBC’s India operations made international headlines. It was also breaking news in India. A spokesman from the ruling BJP lashed out at the BBC describing its coverage of India as “venomous”, “shallow” and “anti-India”. All this happened just weeks after the release of a BBC documentary in the UK questioning Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s role in the 2002 Gujrat riots.

The Indian media is familiar with tax raids which are seen as selective tools of intimidation and harassment. But this was the first time that an international organisation with the stature of the BBC was targeted. Over the past years several Indian publications, online news portals and TV channels have faced investigations. During the height of the pandemic when the Delta wave brought India to its knees, well known media houses were raided after they reported on the unprecedented high death toll, implying the government’s mismanagement of the crisis. The founders of a TV channel, consistently voted as the “most trusted English news channel in India”, had their offices and their homes searched. The TV channel was one of the few viewed as ’independent”. It was recently bought over by the controversial billionaire Gautam Adani, who has close links within the government. Some of channel’s top anchors and management have left, amid concerns they will no longer be able to air their views freely.

These are not random, isolated incidents. There is a pattern to them. And it is not just the media which is under attack. Those viewed to be critical of authorities be they political opponents, dissidents, think-tanks, human rights groups, independent organizations, or simply regarded as “anti-national” are at of risk of being prosecuted by one of the several official agencies.

However, individual journalists are amongst the most vulnerable. Dozens have been arrested in recent years for alleged “unlawful” activities, “terrorism” and even slapped with colonial-era charges such as “sedition”. And sometimes for a mere tweet or a Facebook post. Some of the accused are kept in prison for years without going to trial, like Siddique Kapplan. He was arrested while he was on his way to investigate a caste-based gang-rape and murder of a young girl from a marginalised community. He was released on bail this month.

There have been clashes between people supporting and opposing a contentious amendment to India’s citizenship law.

These operations aim not just to punish those who are being targeted but also aim to send a message to all those who are watching this drama unfold.

And the message has been well received. At one time India was known for its vibrant, raucous and loud media spanning the entire political spectrum from the extreme right to the radical left with all the nuances in between. But not any longer. And not with the same ferocity. Media houses are owned by large magnates often with close political affiliations to those in power with predictable outcomes.

This is not the first time the media has felt the full force of the government. The former Congress prime minister, Indira Gandhi, declared an emergency in a desperate bid to hang on to power in the mid-seventies. Post the emergency the media bounced back. But that chapter in India’s history left a bitter legacy, not restricted to one party or group, tempted to silence criticism. In today’s politically polarized eco-system, press freedom is on the slide.

One by one media outlets are falling into line ranging from those who have become downright obsequious (called by some the “godi” media or lapdog press) to those who shy away from direct criticism.

Where the process is the punishment, not surprisingly, a more pernicious trend has emerged self censorship.

This is does not bode well for a country which proudly calls itself the world’s largest democracy. India’s ranking in the freedom of press is abysmal 150th out 180 countries according to Reporters without Borders (RSF). It also says India is amongst the five most dangerous countries to be a journalist. Human Rights Watch and nine other organisations made a passionate appeal on World Press Freedom Day last year calling on authorities in India to stop threatening and prosecuting journalists and online critics. The V-Dem Report 2023, from the University of Gothenberg, Sweden, describes India as “one of the worst autocratisers” in the last 10 years.

Hundreds of reports chronicling decades of violence in the disputed Muslim-majority territory have disappeared from local media archives or been rendered unsearchable.

Whereas international media watchdogs consistently draw attention to the flaws in India’s media landscape, this is not matched by international governments. Given the current geo-political situation in the world, India has carved a sweet spot for itself on the international stage. It has recovered from its initial awkward ambivalence over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, leveraging its position now as a potential asset. Lavish praise was heaped on India by those who believe with its proximity to Moscow, Delhi can influence outcomes and maybe even ’mediate’ peace. Combined with the western disenchantment with China, all roads these days lead to Delhi. There has been a convoy of high-profile visitors to India, including the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

India is using its G-20 presidency to showcase its power, prowess and potential. It has planned a series of events across the country dazzling delegates with its richness of culture and promise which will culminate with the G-20 summit in September. In this atmosphere, no one wants to raise uncomfortable questions about how India treats its press. Not even off the record. This gives the government a free reign and the impunity to challenge organizations like the BBC.

But all is not lost. There are a few independent voices who dare to ask difficult questions and expose uncomfortable truths. Some of them have already paid a heavy price for their work but they refuse to succumb. These are often small, independent online outfits or courageous individuals. But the space for independent journalism is narrow and shrinking.

There are a few independent voices who dare to ask difficult questions and expose uncomfortable truths.