The country has witnessed an alarming surge in free speech violations in the first four months of 2024. As many as 134 violations were reported, according to “Free Speech Collective”.
The report titled ‘Crossing The Line: 18th Lok Sabha Elections and Free Speech In India’, published on Wednesday, May 1, has also revealed that independent journalists, academics, students, YouTubers, and ordinary citizens, have been subjected to harassment, attacks, arrests, and censorship.
There have been 36 cases of arrest, 36 cases of censorship, 24 cases of internet control, 13 cases of attacks and seven cases of lawfare so far in 2024, the collective’s report said.
Attacks on free speech
The report revealed shocking cases of ordinary citizens facing legal action and threats after voicing their opinions on communal issues particularly where victims are Muslims.
Notably, the lack of action against hate speech is being ignored by the authorities, including ministers and police, who show poor accountability in dealing with such complaints.
According to the report, 34 journalists have been attacked in the country since the beginning of year 2024.
One of them was journalist Nikhil Wagle who was chased by a mob on the February 9, 2024 in Pune while he was on his way to a public meeting along with activist Vishwambhar Choudhary and human rights lawyer Asim Sarode.
Bharatiya Janata Party workers had poured ink over the journalist’s car and vandalised it. They also mobbed the reporters at Pune’s Khandoji Baba Chowk.
The report also highlighted that on the day preceding the attack on Wagle, 10 journalists in Haldwani (Uttarakhand) were attacked by an angry mob after the demolition of the Razia mosque and Madrasa, which had been built in the 2002.
At the time, the 48-year-old photojournalist Sanjay Kanera who was working in Amrit Vichar newspaper received grievous injuries in Banbhoolpura city of Haldwani after he was attacked by a sharp object while covering the the clashes between police and public.
The report also addressed the case of Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s South Asia bureau chief Avani Dias.
After spending two years in India, Dias took to social media on April 23 and revealed that she was forced to leave the country suddenly because the BJP-led Central government informed her that her reporting had “crossed a line” and that her “visa extension would be denied.”
Internet shutdowns, censorship
Additionally, the report also provides insight into the government orders of internet shutdowns and banning independent portals as a medium for the suppression of freedom of speech.
Pertinently, in April 2024, the government asked YouTube to block the online Hindi news platform “National Dastak”.
The online news outlet was covering political news coverages, broadcasted documentaries and catered to audiences interested in political affairs and social issues in India. The Prime Minster Narendra Modi-led government banned the channel from the YouTube platform citing “unspecified violations”.
Despite the Supreme Court’s acknowledgement of internet access as the basic fundamental right of people in a digital age the current regime continues to raid journalists, channels and activists.
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