India now increasingly hostile landscape foreign journalists, researchers

ISLAMABAD: India has emerged as an increasingly hostile landscape for foreign independent journalists and researchers, with growing restrictions, intimidation and bureaucratic barriers severely limiting independent reporting and academic work.

According to Kashmir Media Service, French author and film director, who was previously jailed in India has published a book recounting his ordeal. Titled “J’avais un rêve indien. Dans l’enfer de la prison de Gorakhpur,” the book sheds light on his experiences and the harsh realities he claims to have faced during his imprisonment in India.

On 15 January 2026, 32 year French author and film director, Valentin Hénault, published his memoir. The title translates directly into English as “I Had an Indian Dream: In the Hell of Gorakhpur Prison.”

In it he reflects on his 2023 trip to India, a journey that soon turned into a nightmare as he had to spend months in jail after attending a Dalit rights protest in 2023. Book is available only in French at present.

Hénault was accused of illegally financing the protest and violating visa conditions under the Foreigners Act, and was arrested and sent to Gorakhpur prison, where he was placed in a cell meant for mentally unstable inmates.

He endured overcrowded conditions with little space to sleep, witnessed deaths and experienced caste- and religion-based segregation behind bars.

Hénault remained barred from leaving the city for seven months and finally left India in May 2024. He described how upper-caste inmates were given better spaces, while lower-caste and Muslim prisoners were pushed to dark corners near toilets. Many detainees had no clarity about their release, with no hearings or court dates scheduled.

His experience highlights how the Foreigners Act is often used to detain foreigners involved in political activities, protests, or documenting social issues.

Hénault’s case is part of a broader pattern of India targeting foreign journalists, researchers, and activists. French journalist Vanessa Dougnac was forced to leave India in 2024 after threats to cancel her OCI status over alleged “negative reporting.”

American journalist Angad Singh was deported immediately from New Delhi in 2022, and foreign missionaries in Assam were detained and expelled the same year.

Other high-profile cases include foreign religious preachers, aid workers, and activists like David Bergman, Ian Stillman, and Jagtar Singh Johal, who faced detention, visa violations, or prolonged imprisonment.