EDITORIAL: The right-wing ultra-Hindu nationalist government ruling the ‘world’s largest democracy’ has no tolerance for journalists critical of its acts of omission or commission. In its India Press Freedom Report, 2021, the Rights and Risks Analysis Group, an independent think-tank based in New Delhi, reveals that at least six journalists were killed in the line of duty, another 108 attacked, and 13 media houses targeted during the last year.
Many others were physically attacked, threatened, arrested and obstructed from doing their work by public officials, including police. FIRs were registered against 44 media persons, in some cases multiple FIRs against the same journalists in several states.
The worst sufferers have been journalists in the illegally Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K) where they are routinely summoned to police stations and cases registered against them, also their residences are raided. No surprise that most of physical attacks were reported from that disputed region. Whilst it remains under a severe communication lockdown an IIOJ&K-specific new rule requires journalists to be authorised by and registered with the occupation authorities before reporting from the field or publishing media coverage online.
In its push for Hindutva agenda, the ruling BJP-RSS combine also uses subtle means to throttle press freedoms. Big business corporate media has already been in cahoots with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, others are offered favours such as easy access to information about government policies and projects to be first with the news, regulatory benefits, as well as profitable government contracts in return for commendatory coverage.
As a result, most media houses, especially corporate TV channels, sing praises of whatever he says or does. Those who refuse to fall in line, and demand answers for violence against journalists as well as attacks on minority communities — particularly Muslims whose loyalties are questioned and are subjected to discriminatory laws — and shrinking space for freedom of expression, face financial and other pressures.
Meanwhile, readers and viewers of government-backed newspapers and TV channels no longer get impartial and untainted news and views. No wonder India has started to look more and more like an autocracy rather than a democracy.
The country’s standing in annual world press ratings has plummeted to almost the bottom wrung. In its 2020 press freedom index, Reporters Without Borders placed India at 142nd position, below Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. And last year, again, it ranked India at the same place, i.e., 142nd, this time lower than even Afghanistan and Zimbabwe.
As long as Narendra Modi remains at the helm, India might beat those two countries as well in that well-respected international media watchdog’s democratic freedoms index. That surely is not where large segments of society like to see their country. They will be required to work harder with a view to ensuring that India doesn’t regress any further.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022