In India, Kashmiri photojournalist faces harassment, threats
Masrat Zahra, a Kashmiri freelance photographer, told CPJ that she faced online harassment and threats after a photograph of her, captioned with the word “mukhbir”–meaning “spy” or “army informer”–was circulated on social media around May 16, 2018.
Mumbai court sentences crime boss, 8 others to life in jail for journalist murder
New Delhi, May 2, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomed a Mumbai court’s convictions today of nine people, including the mastermind of the murder of investigative journalist Jyotirmoy Dey nearly seven years ago. A court that hears organized crime cases found crime boss Rajendra Sadashiv Nikhalje, alias Chhota Rajan, guilty of ordering Dey’s murder because…
Indian freelancer receives graphic threats following false accusations against her
New Delhi, April 26, 2018–Indian authorities must immediately conduct a swift and thorough investigation into threats against the investigative freelance journalist Rana Ayyub, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Ayyub began receiving an onslaught of anonymous, graphic threats via social media after a parody Twitter account on April 22 falsely stated that Ayyub was…
In India, gasoline-filled bottle thrown at journalist’s home
New Delhi, April 19, 2018–Authorities in India’s northeast Meghalaya state must identify and bring to justice those who attacked the house of Patricia Mukhim, editor of the local Shillong Times newspaper, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Two unidentified persons on April 17 threw a gasoline bomb at Mukhim’s house in Shillong city, according…
Two journalists assaulted in West Bengal state, India
New Delhi, April 11, 2018–Authorities in West Bengal state must identify and bring to justice those who assaulted Biplab Mondal, a photojournalist with the Times of India Kolkata city bureau, and Manas Chattopadhyay, a reporter with the regional ETV Bharat television channel, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Mondal and Chattopadhyay were covering a…
Weight of legal cases and threats leave India’s journalists feeling exposed and alone
The media is in the worst state India has ever seen. That is how several journalists described the current climate in dozens of conversations with CPJ during a trip to Mumbai, Bangalore, and Delhi earlier this year. While the threats they outlined–political pressure, self-censorship, defamation suits, and attacks–are not a new phenomenon in India, many…
Indian authorities must investigate deaths of journalists hit by car
New Delhi, March 29, 2018–Authorities in India’s Bihar state must conduct a thorough investigation into the killing of Navin Nischal, a stringer for the Hindi-language daily Dainik Bhaskar, and Vijay Singh, a freelance contributor to local magazines, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Indian reporter hit by truck, dies after investigating ‘sand mafia’
New Delhi, March 27, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Indian authorities to determine the motive and bring to justice those responsible for the death of journalist Sandeep Sharma in central India’s Madhya Pradesh state.
India releases photojournalist Kamran Yousuf on bail
New York, March 13, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today welcomes the release on bail of Kashmiri photojournalist Kamran Yousuf and calls on Indian authorities to drop all remaining charges against him. Yousuf was granted bail by a National Investigative Agency (NIA) special court in Delhi on Monday and was released today after providing 100,000…