The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has officially urged Delhi police to cease their ongoing investigation into three journalists associated with the Indian journalism platform, The Caravan. In a recent statement, CPJ emphasized the need for police to focus instead on investigating those who attacked these journalists during the 2020 Delhi riots.
Journalists Shahid Tantray, Prabhjit Singh, and a woman journalist, whose identities have been made public, were assaulted while covering the communal riots in New Delhi. They faced severe harassment, including communal slurs, death threats, and sexual harassment, particularly towards the female journalist. According to The Caravan, one of the assailants identified himself as a “general secretary” of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling party in India.
Following the incident, on August 14, 2020, the Delhi police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the three journalists under sections 354 and 153A of the Indian Penal Code. These sections pertain to offences related to outraging a woman’s modesty and promoting communal enmity, respectively. Although the journalists’ complaint was also registered later on the same day, the police categorized it as a “counter-FIR,” suggesting it was a defensive move against the original complaint.
The riots, which began on February 23, 2020, resulted in the deaths of approximately 53 people, primarily from the Muslim community. The violence was triggered by contentious legislation known as the Citizenship Amendment Act, enacted by the ruling BJP government. Numerous reports, including those from Human Rights Watch and the Delhi Minorities Commission, have criticized the police’s handling of the riots, alleging bias and procedural failures.
Amid growing concerns over press and media freedom in India, which is ranked 159th out of 180 countries in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders, the CPJ’s call highlights ongoing challenges faced by journalists in the region. Human Rights Watch has consistently expressed similar concerns regarding media freedom in India.
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