New Delhi: The spotlight is once again on India’s shrinking space for free press, as a series of high-profile incidents highlight the growing risks faced by journalists who challenge the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In recent months, several prominent voices in Indian and foreign media have come under direct pressure. Among them is Avani Dias, the South Asia bureau chief for Australia’s ABC News, who was forced to leave India after her visa renewal was denied. Dias revealed that officials blocked her election accreditation and privately warned her that her reporting particularly on the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar had “gone too far.”
Inside India, the climate has been even harsher for local reporters. Rana Ayyub, a well-known investigative journalist and author of Gujarat Files, continues to face relentless online harassment, legal intimidation, and threats to her safety. Ayyub’s work, which has long scrutinized Modi’s role in the 2002 Gujarat riots, has made her a target for both coordinated digital abuse campaigns and official investigations.
Similarly, Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of the fact-checking site Alt News, has been arrested in the past over social media posts that authorities claimed offended religious sentiments. Press freedom groups argue such arrests are designed to silence dissenting voices that fact-check government narratives.
Beyond these headline cases, dozens of smaller-town journalists report even greater vulnerability. Some say they have been threatened with home demolitions, framed under sweeping anti-terror laws like the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), or subjected to raids on their homes and offices. International watchdogs warn that such tactics are part of a systematic effort to create a chilling effect across Indian media.
Foreign media outlets have also felt the heat. Earlier this year, BBC offices in India were raided by tax authorities, a move widely interpreted as retaliation after the network aired a critical documentary about Modi’s political history.
Rights groups say these developments mark a dangerous decline for the world’s largest democracy. “Journalists in India are increasingly forced to choose between silence and persecution,” one international press freedom advocate noted, adding that the use of visas, tax probes, and security laws to restrict reporting is “a pattern, not an exception.”
Despite the risks, many journalists continue to push back. Ayyub, Zubair, and others remain active, using social media and global platforms to amplify their reporting. Dias, after being expelled, vowed to keep covering Indian affairs from abroad. Their defiance underscores a broader battle between independent journalism and a government determined to control the national narrative.
For India’s press, the question is no longer whether freedom is under pressure, it is how much longer dissenting voices can continue to be heard in the face of an intensifying crackdown.
See Also Uganda Erupts: Deadly Crackdown on Anti-Government Protests
