Mumbai
A month after taking office in the summer of 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India’s “democracy will not sustain if we can’t guarantee freedom of speech and expression”.
Six years on, many believe, India’s democracy looks diminished, by what they say are persistent attacks on the freedom of the press.
Last year India dropped two places and was ranked 142 on the 180-country World Press Freedom Index, compiled annually by Reporters Without Borders. It’s an unflattering commentary on a country that often prides itself on vibrant and competitive media.
The latest crackdown has happened after violence during a recent rally by farmers to protest at a raft of agriculture reform laws.—AFP
