NEW DELHI: Referring to several instances of violence against journalists, the CPI(M) on Thursday said “state repression and intimidation” is the largest threat to press freedom. In the latest editorial of its mouthpiece, People’s Democracy, the CPI(M) alleged that journalists are being increasingly booked under various legal provisions, including sedition, whenever they publish material considered inimical to the central or state governments. The editorial was referring to the latest World Freedom Index issued on May 3 that has placed India at 161st among 180 countries. Citing the example of Shashikant Warishe in Ratnagiri, it said journalists have been killed for doing expose about criminal or mafia activities. “That is why the index defines those in the last 31 in ranking out of 180 as countries where the situation for journalists is ‘very serious’. India falls in this category. “The single biggest threat to press freedom is state repression
Siddique Kappan, a 43-year-old Malayali journalist and Delhi unit secretary of the Kerala Union of Working Journalists was arrested near Mathura toll plaza on
Anurag Thakur, the Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting, had said earlier that the Indian government “does not subscribe to its views and country rankings.” How does the index calculate its rankings?
While the Barsu Salgaon Refinery issue in Ratnagiri is blazing with fiery protests, the burning issue in the region is the land acquisitions which can be suspected to be land grabs in anticipation of the colossal development to come up because of this project, which encompasses 11 villages.