The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has condemned the increasing repression and intimidation faced by journalists in the country. In its latest editorial published in the People’s Democracy, the party alleged that journalists are being targeted by state authorities and booked under various legal provisions, including sedition, whenever they publish content critical of the central or state governments.
The CPI(M) has pointed out that India has slipped further in the latest World Freedom Index, where it has been ranked 161st among 180 countries. The editorial states that this decline in India’s press freedom ranking is a matter of great concern and reflects the deteriorating state of democracy in the country.
The editorial cites several instances of violence against journalists, including the recent attack on a journalist in Assam who was investigating illegal coal mining, and the arrest of a journalist in Uttar Pradesh who reported on the death of children due to lack of oxygen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The CPI(M) has called for an end to state repression and intimidation of journalists and has demanded that the government take immediate steps to protect press freedom in the country. The party has also urged media organizations and journalists to come together and resist attempts to curtail their freedom.
The editorial concludes by stating that a free and independent press is essential for the functioning of a healthy democracy and that any attempt to suppress it will only weaken the democratic fabric of the country.
