By TCO News Desk
New Delhi | October 1, 2025
The pen may be mightier than the sword, but in today’s India, the sword appears to be drawing blood more often than ink. As the world’s largest democracy heads into another year of political churn, questions are mounting over whether India’s journalists — the very watchdogs of its democratic institutions — are paying the ultimate price for challenging the powerful, particularly the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ecosystem.
A Grim Reality for the Press
India has slipped steadily in global press freedom rankings, landing at 151st in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders. International monitors cite repeated attacks, arrests, and the slow delivery of justice as indicators that the country is becoming one of the riskiest democracies for journalism.
“The trend is alarming,” says a senior researcher with the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). “The combination of legal harassment, online mobs, and physical threats has created a hostile climate where independent reporters think twice before publishing uncomfortable truths.”
Murders That Still Haunt the Nation
The death of Gauri Lankesh in September 2017 still casts a long shadow. Known for her uncompromising critiques of right-wing extremism, Lankesh was gunned down outside her Bengaluru home. Eight years later, her family continues to wait for justice, as the case winds through India’s slow-moving courts.
In 2018, Shujaat Bukhari, editor of Rising Kashmir, was assassinated outside his office in Srinagar. His killing underscored the grave dangers of reporting from conflict-ridden Jammu and Kashmir, where journalists face threats from both militant groups and political establishments.
“These killings were meant to silence not just individuals, but an entire profession,” says a Kashmiri reporter who requested anonymity. “And when justice remains elusive, it emboldens the next attacker.”
The Weaponisation of Law
Beyond bullets, laws have become a potent weapon against journalists. Reporters critical of government policies increasingly face criminal complaints, sedition charges, or even provisions under anti-terror laws. Dozens have been detained or dragged through prolonged legal battles for stories that question official narratives.
The introduction of stricter IT rules has also raised concerns. Critics argue the regulations can be selectively enforced to force takedowns of inconvenient reporting, while government officials defend them as tools against “fake news.”
The Press Council of India (PCI) has acknowledged the misuse of laws, urging reforms to protect journalists from wrongful detention and harassment. Yet, concrete safeguards remain absent.
The Rise of Digital Mobs
If court cases and physical attacks were not enough, the digital age has unleashed another weapon: coordinated trolling campaigns. Journalists who question the BJP’s policies, or expose links between politics and corporate interests, frequently find themselves targeted online.
Women journalists, in particular, face torrents of gendered abuse. Threats of sexual violence, doxxing, and smear campaigns have become disturbingly common. “It feels like open season,” says an investigative reporter based in Mumbai. “One tweet can unleash a mob that doesn’t stop for days.”
Platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram are often slow to act on complaints, leaving reporters exposed. While tech companies pledge reforms, civil society groups argue that the lack of accountability enables abuse to thrive.
Who Is to Blame?
While not every attack can be pinned on the BJP or its leaders, critics say the broader political climate has turned toxic for the press. Strong rhetoric against “anti-national” voices and frequent public vilification of critics create fertile ground for harassment.
“Political leaders may not pull the trigger or send the trolls directly, but their language sets the tone,” says a Delhi-based editor. “When dissent is equated with disloyalty, journalists inevitably become targets.”
At the same time, non-state actors — criminal syndicates, extremist groups, and militant outfits — also pose severe threats to reporters, especially in conflict zones and rural areas where political power intersects with illicit networks.
Democracy on the Defensive
The cumulative effect is clear: a narrowing of space for independent journalism. Investigations into land scams, communal violence, corporate-political cronyism, and environmental violations are increasingly rare. Newsrooms, wary of legal costs and safety risks, often choose not to pursue sensitive stories.
“The tragedy is not just individual,” says veteran journalist and media rights activist Sevanti Ninan. “When the press retreats, the public loses. Corruption flourishes, rights violations go unchecked, and democracy itself becomes weaker.”
Calls for Urgent Reform
Civil society organisations, international press bodies, and even some domestic watchdogs have issued a series of recommendations:
Swift Justice: Fast-track courts to handle cases of violence against journalists.
Legal Safeguards: Narrower definitions of sedition and anti-terror provisions to prevent misuse.
Digital Accountability: Binding obligations on tech companies to respond quickly to threats and harassment.
Economic Independence: Financial support models to reduce media dependence on politically connected advertisers.
While these proposals circulate, their implementation remains uncertain in a deeply polarised political environment.
The Road Ahead
India is no stranger to dissent or to bold journalists who refuse to bend. But the risks are undeniably higher today. The danger lies not only in the physical or legal threats but in the slow, creeping normalisation of hostility toward the press.
As one veteran editor put it: “A democracy without fearless journalists is a democracy running on borrowed time. If we allow fear to dictate the news, we hand over power without accountability.”
The question remains: will India choose to safeguard its Fourth Estate, or will it continue down a path where scrutiny comes at the cost of silence — or life itself?
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