ISLAMABAD: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has expressed deep concern over a series of incidents in India involving the silencing, assault, and legal harassment of journalists and political commentators following the April 22 attack in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir that left 26 tourists dead.
In a statement, CPJ urged Indian authorities to ensure that their responses to national security concerns remain firmly grounded in democratic principles and constitutional protections for press freedom.
“We call on the government to uphold transparency in content regulation, adhere to due process, and avoid using national security as a blanket justification to suppress independent journalism,” said Kunāl Majumder, CPJ’s India Representative.
On April 29, the Indian government ordered the blocking of the YouTube channel 4PM News Network, which has about 7.3 million subscribers, citing national security and public order. On May 1, 4PM Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Sharma filed a petition with the Supreme Court challenging the order. The Court has asked the government to respond to Sharma’s petition.
Separately, on April 24, Rakesh Sharma, a senior journalist with Dainik Jagran, was physically assaulted by supporters of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) while covering a protest in Kathua, Jammu and Kashmir, following the attack. Local police filed a first information report (FIR) to open an investigation, but no arrests have been reported so far.
Meanwhile, police in Uttar Pradesh have launched criminal investigations into political commentators and satirists Neha Singh Rathore and Madri Kakoti (who publishes under the name Dr. Medusa) for allegedly inciting unrest and threatening national unity through their online posts about the attack. If convicted, they face potential prison sentences ranging from three years to life.
In a related development, Supreme Court lawyer Amita Sachdeva filed a complaint with the Cyber Crime South Division in New Delhi on April 29, accusing satirist Shamita Yadav, known as The Ranting Gola, of anti-India propaganda after one of her videos criticizing the government’s response was reposted by a Pakistani social media user.
On April 28, the Ministry of External Affairs sent a letter to Jackie Martin, head of BBC India, expressing strong disapproval of the BBC’s use of the term “militant attack” to describe the event.
The Indian government has also blocked 16 Pakistani YouTube channels—including news, sports, and commentary platforms—citing national security concerns in the wake of the attack.
These actions come alongside a new Ministry of Information and Broadcasting advisory, reviewed by CPJ, that prohibits live coverage of anti-terrorist operations, citing security risks.
CPJ said it had reached out to India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the police departments handling the investigations for comment but had not received responses.
