Authorities in the northeastern state of Assam have opened two separate criminal investigations against The Wire, one of India’s leading independent media outlets.
The probes target editor Siddharth Varadarajan, Hindi editor Ashutosh Bhardwaj, contributor Karan Thapar, the outlet’s parent organization, the Foundation for Independent Journalism (FIJ), and even Pakistani journalist Najam Sethi, who was interviewed during coverage of the recent India-Pakistan tensions.
The cases stem from reporting on the April attacks in Jammu and Kashmir and the subsequent military escalation. Assam police accuse The Wire of publishing articles and interviews that allegedly endangered India’s “sovereignty, unity, and integrity,” invoking Section 152 of the penal code, a controversial provision critics say is a rebranded version of the colonial-era sedition law suspended by the Supreme Court in 2022. The law, which came into effect in 2024, carries penalties of up to life imprisonment and is itself under judicial review.
One investigation, opened on July 11 in Morigaon district, relates to a June 29 report alleging Indian fighter jets were lost to Pakistani forces. Although the Supreme Court granted protection from arrest to Varadarajan and FIJ owners on August 12, police in Guwahati the same day summoned Varadarajan and Thapar in a separate probe citing 12 reports and interviews with journalists, analysts, and defense experts.
Press freedom groups condemned the moves as politically motivated. “By twice initiating investigations under a law currently being legally challenged for its resemblance to a colonial-era sedition law, and defying a Supreme Court ruling, Assam police are misusing the legal system to intimidate journalists,” said Kunāl Majumder, India representative for the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
The investigations deepen concerns over the shrinking space for independent journalism in India, where authorities continue to use security laws to pressure reporters and media outlets into silence.