These days, journalist Siddique Kappan avoids controversial stories. Last time he chased a major story, a shocking rape-and-murder case, it landed the father of three in jail for more than two years, and severely damaged his career and livelihood. The 44-year-old blames his incarceration on a worsening climate for journalists in India, where arrests and harassment are growing more common.
In a statement, NewsClick said the claims were absurd and baseless, and were intended to “target independent journalism.” Its editor Prabir Purkayastha was in jail from October 3 until Wednesday, when the Supreme Court granted him bail, saying his arrest and remand were “invalid in the eyes of law.” “When the state resorts to using anti-terror laws to shut down the freedom of expression of journalists holding institutions to account, then we are deep in authoritarian rule,” said Banaji from LSE.