The statements were issued hours after the Assam Police detained Doley in Guwahati on July 12 in connection with a criminal case registered at Bokakhat Police Station. According to report by The Hindu, Doley, the convenor of the Greater Kaziranga Land and Human Rights Protection Committee (GKLHRPC) and a leading face of the agitation against a proposed luxury hotel project near Kaziranga National Park, was detained under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Police officials stated that he was being questioned in connection with a case registered on June 29 before being handed over to Bokakhat Police for further legal proceedings, although they did not disclose the specific incident leading to the FIR. As per Hindustan Times, Doley, however, alleged that no arrest warrant was shown to him during the operation, asking, “What kind of democracy is this if we are not allowed to raise the voice of the people?“.

Forum for Social Harmony calls arrest an attack on democratic rights

The Forum for Social Harmony characterised Doley’s arrest as “an attack on democratic rights”, alleging that the Assam government had deployed the police machinery to suppress a legitimate people’s movement centred on land rights, livelihood protection and environmental justice. The organisation said the arrest was deeply alarming because it followed a prolonged and peaceful campaign by local farmers, indigenous communities and several people’s organisations opposing the proposed luxury hotel project at Engle (Inglay) Pathar in Kaziranga.

According to the Forum, the government’s response has not been to engage with the concerns raised by affected communities but to repeatedly invoke criminal law against movement leaders. It alleged that the filing of one criminal case after another reflects a “dangerous trend” of shrinking democratic space, where constitutionally protected rights to dissent and freedom of expression are increasingly curtailed through criminal prosecution and police action.

The statement further asserted that the demands of working people seeking to protect their land, livelihoods and environment cannot be silenced through what it described as police repression and fabricated criminal cases. It argued that criminalising those participating in public-interest movements undermines democratic institutions and weakens citizens’ ability to peacefully challenge state policies affecting their lives.

Calling for immediate action, the Forum demanded Doley’s unconditional release, withdrawal of all false and politically motivated cases against him and others associated with the Kaziranga movement, and an end to what it termed the state’s politically motivated repression of protesters. It also appealed to democratic, secular and progressive organisations, farmers’ and workers’ unions, students’ organisations, youth groups, human rights defenders and concerned citizens across Assam to unite in protest against what it described as anti-democratic state action.

The complete statement (translated) is as follows:

PRESS STATEMENT

The Arrest of Pranab Doley is an Attack on Democratic Rights: Forum for Social Harmony

The Forum for Social Harmony strongly condemns the arrest of Pranab Doley, one of the key leaders of the Kaziranga people’s movement, by the Assam Police on 12 July. This attempt by the state government to use the police to suppress a democratic movement fighting for land rights, livelihood, and environmental protection is deeply alarming.

For a long time, local farmers, residents, and various people’s organisations have been protesting against the proposed luxury hotel project at Engle Pathar in Kaziranga. The filing of one criminal case after another and the arrest of leaders of this public-interest movement reflect a dangerous trend of curtailing the democratic right to dissent and freedom of expression.

The Forum firmly states that the legitimate demands of working people to protect their land and livelihoods cannot be silenced through police repression and fabricated criminal cases. This politics of criminalising people’s movements must come to an end.

The Forum for Social Harmony demands the immediate and unconditional release of Pranab Doley, the withdrawal of all false and politically motivated cases filed against him and all others associated with the movement, and an end to the ongoing politically motivated repression against the protesters.

The Forum also calls upon all democratic, secular and progressive forces, farmers’ and workers’ organisations, human rights groups, students’ and youth organisations, and all conscious citizens of the state to unite in protest against these anti-democratic actions.

Harkumar Goswami

Convener

Forum for Social Harmony

12 July 2026

AMSU and AIKMS allege arrests reflect ‘bulldozer politics’ serving corporate interests

In a more expansive joint statement, the Asom Mojuri Shramik Union (AMSU) and the All India Kisan Mazdoor Sabha (AIKMS) broadened the issue beyond Doley’s arrest, arguing that it reflects a systematic pattern of criminalising people’s movements across Assam. The organisations also condemned the arrest of Adit Chandra Rabha, advisor to the Borduar Tea Estate Land Pattas Demand Committee and spokesperson of the Nikhil Rabha National Council, contending that both arrests form part of an escalating crackdown on leaders defending land rights.

The organisations argued that these were not isolated incidents but examples of a recurring strategy employed whenever communities organise to defend their rights over land, forests, water and livelihoods. According to the statement, the government increasingly responds to such mobilisations by registering criminal cases under various penal provisions and imprisoning movement leaders through police action. Describing the practice as a serious assault on democratic rights, AMSU and AIKMS alleged that fabricated criminal cases have become a routine instrument for intimidating grassroots movements and weakening public resistance.

One of the central themes of the statement is its critique of what the organisations describe as “bulldozer politics.” They argued that the policy, which they say began with demolitions and evictions in Gorukhuti, has now evolved into a broader political and economic project extending across Assam. According to the organisations, bulldozer politics is not merely about the demolition of homes but about systematically clearing the path for corporate investment by undermining the land, livelihood and labour rights of working people. They alleged that wherever large corporate interests are involved—whether in forced evictions, land acquisition, luxury tourism projects or state control over forests and agricultural land—the state machinery consistently aligns itself with corporate capital rather than affected communities.

Expanding on this argument, AMSU and AIKMS linked Doley’s arrest to several ongoing struggles across Assam. They pointed to the Borduar land rights movement, the continuing resistance against the proposed luxury hotel project in Kaziranga, and the protests against the forced eviction of thousands of tea garden workers in Dolu for the construction of an airport. Rather than viewing these as separate conflicts, the organisations argued that together they demonstrate a consistent pattern in which communities defending their land and livelihoods are met with police action instead of dialogue, consultation or justice.

The statement further alleged that the arrests of Doley and Rabha reveal that the government’s objective extends beyond prosecuting two individuals. Instead, it argued, the broader aim is to silence democratic movements through fear and dismantle organised resistance against what it described as the corporate takeover of land and natural resources. According to the organisations, this assault is not confined to land rights activists but affects tea garden workers, construction workers, gig workers, contract labourers, street vendors and small farmers, all of whom they claim are experiencing the consequences of the same corporate-oriented governance model. While labour protections are weakened, they alleged, those demanding constitutional and labour rights increasingly face criminalisation.

Reaffirming solidarity among workers and peasants across divisions of nationality, religion, language and caste, AMSU and AIKMS said only a united movement of workers, farmers and the toiling masses could effectively resist such policies. The organisations demanded the immediate and unconditional release of both Doley and Rabha, withdrawal of all politically motivated cases against participants in democratic movements, an end to the repression of protests and organising, and the abandonment of policies facilitating forced eviction, land acquisition and erosion of people’s rights in favour of corporate interests.

The complete statement (translated) is as follows:

PRESS STATEMENT

Demand for the Immediate and Unconditional Release of Land Rights Activist Pranab Doley and Nikhil Rabha National Council Spokesperson Adit Chandra Rabha

Escalating repression and arrests are part of a bulldozer politics serving corporate interests: Jason Mojuri Shramik Union and All India Kisan Mazdoor Sabha (AIKMS)

Guwahati, July 12: The Central Committee of the Asom Mojuri Shramikv Union (AMSU) and the State Unit of All India Kisan Mazdoor Sabha (AIKMS) has strongly condemned the arrest of Pranab Doley, a leader of the Land Rights Movement and one of the key organisers of the Kaziranga resistance movement, and Adit Chandra Rabha, advisor to the Borduar Tea Estate Land Pattas Demand Committee in Rabha Hasong, a prominent leader of Assam’s land rights movement, and spokesperson of the Nikhil Rabha National Council. The two organisations have demanded their immediate and unconditional release.

In a joint statement issued today, the organisations said:

“These arrests are not isolated incidents. Whenever people organise themselves to defend their rights over land, livelihood, forests and water, the government increasingly resorts to registering criminal cases under various penal provisions and imprisoning movement leaders through police action. Using fabricated cases to intimidate democratic movements and weaken popular resistance has become a routine strategy of the government. This is a serious assault on democratic rights.

The bulldozer policy that began in Gorukhuti has now been extended across Assam. This bulldozer politics is not merely about demolishing homes; it is a political project aimed at clearing the way for corporate capital by undermining the rights of working people. Wherever large corporate interests are involved, the state machinery consistently stands with capital against the people. Whether it is forced eviction, land acquisition, luxury tourism projects, or state control over forests and agricultural land, the same pattern is evident everywhere.”

The statement further observed:

“Be it the land struggle in Borduar, the ongoing movement against the proposed luxury hotel project in Kaziranga, or the resistance against the forced eviction of thousands of tea garden workers at Dolu in the name of constructing an airport, the government’s response has been repression instead of dialogue and justice. The legal and mass resistance initiated by the workers of Dolu continues even today. These struggles clearly demonstrate that the government is systematically attacking land rights, livelihood, and labour rights in the interests of corporate capital.

The arrests of Adit Chandra Rabha and Pranab Doley make it clear that the government’s target is not merely two individuals; its real objective is to silence all democratic people’s movements through fear and to crush resistance against corporate plunder.

This assault is not confined to land movements alone. Tea garden workers, construction workers, gig workers, contract workers, small farmers and street vendors are all victims of the same policy. On the one hand, labour rights are being systematically eroded; on the other, those who demand their rights are being criminalised. Both are integral parts of the same corporate-oriented model of governance.”

The Asom Mojuri Shramik Union and the All India Kisan Mazdoor Sabha (AIKMS) reaffirmed that this assault can only be resisted through the united struggle of all working people across divisions of nationality, religion, language and caste.

They stated that only the unity of workers, peasants and the toiling masses can defeat the politics of division.

The organisations demand:

Immediate and unconditional release of Pranab Doley and Adit Chandra Rabha.

Withdrawal of all politically motivated cases filed against leaders and participants of democratic people’s movements.

An end to the ongoing repression of democratic protests and the right to organise.

Immediate abandonment of policies of forced eviction, land acquisition, and the erosion of people’s rights in the interests of corporate capital.

Issued by:

Asom Mojuri Shramik Union (AMSU), Central Committee

All India Kisan Mazdoor Sabha (AIKMS), Assam State Commitee

Signed by:

Mrinal Kanti Som

Debajit Choudhury

Bhumi Adhikar Andolan raises concerns over legality of arrest, constitutional safeguards

The Bhumi Adhikar Andolan (BAA) issued the most detailed statement, placing Doley’s arrest within the broader framework of indigenous rights, constitutional protections and the increasing criminalisation of land rights defenders across India. Condemning the arrest of what it described as an “indigenous rights defender,” the organisation alleged that around 100 police personnel surrounded the house in Guwahati where Doley was staying during the early hours of July 12.

According to BAA, those present at the residence questioned the police about the legal basis for the operation and asked to see an arrest warrant. The organisation claimed that no warrant was produced during the arrest and that police merely informed those present that Doley was being arrested in connection with a criminal complaint registered at Bokakhat Police Station on June 29.

The organisation also listed the numerous Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) provisions under which the case has reportedly been registered, including Sections 61(2), 191(2), 191(3), 190, 329(3), 324(2), 221, 132, 121, 121(1), 121(2), 351(3), 74, 326(g) and 62, highlighting what it suggested was the extensive criminal framework invoked against a leader of a public movement.

BAA described Doley as one of the foremost leaders of the people’s struggle against the proposed Hyatt luxury hotel project at Inglay Pathar on the fringes of Kaziranga National Park. It said the movement has united indigenous communities, Adivasi farmers and local residents who oppose what they view as the diversion of community land for corporate tourism. According to the organisation, protesters have consistently argued that the project threatens farming livelihoods, undermines indigenous land rights and advances a model of development that privileges corporate interests over ecological sustainability and community welfare.

The organisation further argued that communities living around Kaziranga have, for years, resisted attempts to convert ecologically sensitive landscapes into spaces for luxury tourism while those who have historically lived in and protected these areas continue to face displacement, restrictions and criminalisation. It said the movement has consistently demanded transparency in decision-making, recognition of community land rights, ecological justice and adherence to constitutional guarantees protecting indigenous peoples.

Calling the arrest far more than an isolated law-and-order action, BAA alleged that it reflects a growing national pattern of targeting individuals resisting land grabs, forced displacement and the corporate takeover of forests, commons and indigenous territories. According to the organisation, such actions weaken democratic institutions by attempting to silence legitimate dissent through criminal prosecution.

Besides demanding Doley’s immediate release and withdrawal of all allegedly false and politically motivated cases, BAA also called for full adherence to constitutional and legal safeguards, including immediate access to legal counsel and family members, protection from custodial violence or harassment, and an independent and transparent review of the proposed Hyatt hotel project and all actions taken against affected communities. It further appealed to democratic organisations, trade unions, environmental groups, lawyers, journalists, farmers’ organisations, civil liberties groups and citizens across the country to stand in solidarity with the people of Kaziranga, asserting that the defence of land, forests, livelihoods and indigenous rights is a democratic and constitutional struggle—not a crime.

The complete statement is as follows:

Statement by Bhumi Adhikar Andolan (BAA)

Condemn the Arrest of Indigenous Rights Defender Pranab Doley; Release Him Immediately

Bhumi Adhikar Andolan (BAA) strongly condemns the arrest of Pranab Doley, an indigenous peoples’ leader from Kaziranga, Assam, by the Assam Police from Guwahati on 12 July 2026.

According to information received, around 100 police personnel surrounded the house where Pranab Doley was staying in Guwahati from the early hours of the morning. Those present reportedly questioned the police regarding the legal basis of the operation and stated that no arrest warrant was produced at the time of arrest. The police informed them that the arrest was in connection with a criminal complaint registered on 29 June 2026 at Bokakhat Police Station.

We understand that the case has been registered under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 61(2), 191(2), 191(3), 190, 329(3), 324(2), 221, 132, 121, 121(1), 121(2), 351(3), 74, 326(g) and 62.

Pranab Doley has been one of the foremost leaders of the people’s struggle against the proposed Hyatt luxury hotel project at Inglay Pathar (Inle Pothar) on the fringes of Kaziranga National Park. The movement has brought together indigenous communities, Adivasi farmers and local residents who have consistently opposed the diversion of land for corporate tourism projects. They have argued that the proposed project threatens the livelihoods of farming families, undermines the rights of indigenous communities and promotes a model of development that prioritises corporate interests over people and the environment.

For the past several years, the people of Kaziranga have raised their voices against attempts to convert ecologically sensitive landscapes into spaces for luxury tourism while communities that have lived in and protected these landscapes continue to face displacement, restrictions and criminalisation. The movement has consistently demanded transparency, protection of community land rights, ecological justice and respect for constitutional guarantees.

The arrest of Pranab Doley is not an isolated incident. It comes in the context of an intensifying pattern of criminalising those who resist land grabs, forced displacement and the corporate takeover of forests, commons and indigenous territories. Such actions weaken democratic institutions and seek to silence legitimate dissent.

Bhumi Adhikar Andolan demands:

* Immediate release of Pranab Doley.

* Withdrawal of all false and politically motivated cases against him and other activists associated with the Kaziranga movement.

* Full adherence to constitutional and legal safeguards, including immediate access to legal counsel and family members.

* Protection from custodial violence and any form of harassment.

* An independent and transparent review of the proposed Hyatt hotel project and all actions taken against the affected communities.

We call upon democratic organisations, people’s movements, civil liberties groups, trade unions, farmers’ organisations, environmental groups, lawyers, journalists and all concerned citizens across the country to stand in solidarity with the people of Kaziranga and demand the immediate release of Pranab Doley.

The struggle to defend land, forests, livelihoods and the rights of indigenous peoples is a democratic and constitutional struggle—not a crime. Attempts to silence those who resist corporate land grabs will only strengthen the resolve of people’s movements across the country.

Release Pranab Doley immediately.

Bhumi Adhikar Andolan (BAA)

12 July 2026

Arrest follows protests against Kaziranga luxury hotel project

Doley’s arrest comes against the backdrop of an intensifying campaign against the proposed construction of luxury hotels on the fringes of Kaziranga National Park, a project that has triggered sustained opposition from indigenous communities, farmers and local residents over concerns relating to displacement, ecological degradation and the diversion of community land.

According to The Indian Express, Doley, 40, was detained by a team of Dispur Police from the Sundarpur area of Guwahati on July 12 in connection with a case registered at Bokakhat Police Station in Golaghat district. Police officials stated that he was detained under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) relating to offences including criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, rioting, criminal trespass, voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from discharging official duties, obstruction of public servants and criminal intimidation. Officials said the investigating officer from Bokakhat was travelling to Guwahati to take custody of Doley for further legal proceedings but did not disclose the specific incident that led to the registration of the FIR.

As per the report of Hindustan Times, the case is believed to be linked to confrontations between local protesters and the police during demonstrations held near Hatikhuli approximately two weeks earlier, where residents had protested against the proposed tourism project. However, the police have not officially confirmed whether those protests directly form the basis of the criminal case.

Doley has emerged as one of the most recognisable faces of the resistance against the proposed luxury hotel developments around Kaziranga. As the convenor of the Greater Kaziranga Land and Human Rights Protection Committee (GKLHRPC), he has led protests highlighting what local communities describe as the ecological and social consequences of commercial tourism projects in the region. Protesters have consistently argued that such developments threaten wildlife corridors, agricultural land and the livelihoods of indigenous and Adivasi communities while advancing corporate interests at the expense of local populations. Doley has also previously accused authorities of violating the rights of communities living around Kaziranga in the name of conservation and anti-poaching operations.

Bhumi Adhikar Joutha Sangram Samiti alleges pattern of targeting land rights leaders

Echoing many of the concerns raised by the three organisations, the Bhumi Adhikar Joutha Sangram Samiti (Joint Action Committee for Land Rights) also condemned Doley’s arrest, alleging that the Assam government was systematically targeting leaders spearheading land rights movements across the state.

In a statement issued by advisor Shantanu Borthakur and conveners Gobinda Rabha, Krishna Gogoi and Subrata Talukdar, the committee alleged that Doley’s arrest was directly linked to his role in leading campaigns to protect the land rights of indigenous communities and opposing corporate-backed projects in Kaziranga. Referring to the recent arrest of Adit Chandra Rabha, advisor to the Borduar Bagan Bhumi Pattan Dabi Samiti and spokesperson of the Nikhil Rabha Jatiya Parishad, the committee argued that both arrests reflected a broader pattern of action against prominent leaders associated with Assam’s land rights movement.

“The only crime of Pranab Doley was that he joined the struggle to protect the land of 45 Adivasi families in Kaziranga and campaigned against large corporations,” the committee said, alleging that corporate interests were increasingly being advanced with the support of the state government while activists defending community rights were facing criminal prosecution.

Describing the arrests as part of a wider crackdown on democratic voices, the committee demanded Doley’s immediate release and urged the Assam government to end what it termed the harassment of land rights activists and those participating in democratic movements.

Opposition leaders question police action

The arrest also drew sharp criticism from opposition leaders, who questioned the government’s use of police action against those protesting state policies.

According to IE report, Assam Congress president and Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi described Doley’s detention as an attempt to silence voices critical of the government. Stating that citizens in a democracy have the right to oppose government policies, Gogoi argued that the police action exposed what he called the contradiction between the ruling BJP’s claims of protecting indigenous rights and its treatment of those raising concerns over land and livelihood.

Similarly, Raijor Dal president and Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi accused the BJP-led government of imprisoning tribal leaders to protect the interests of corporate capital, alleging that those defending the rights of indigenous communities were increasingly being treated as criminals rather than citizens exercising their democratic rights.

The arrest has therefore triggered condemnation not only from organisations directly associated with the Kaziranga movement but also from labour unions, farmers’ organisations, indigenous rights groups, land rights collectives and opposition political leaders, all of whom have questioned the state’s response to sustained public protests over the proposed luxury tourism project. Together, the statements present the arrest as more than an isolated policing action, framing it instead as part of a broader debate over democratic dissent, constitutional rights, environmental justice, indigenous land rights and the increasing criminalisation of grassroots movements in Assam.

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In a special message to the meeting, senior advocate, Sanjay Hegde, in a written statement said, “I am happy that Democracy and Journalists’ Rights, are still being sought to be discussed and protected at the office of the Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ). I am out of Delhi, but present with you in spirit.  To keep insisting on finding out the truth and speaking that truth to power, is the essence of journalism and the best safeguard for democracy. Unfortunately, in an era of post-truth, the conscientious journalist is faced with a choice of succumbing to market forces or being driven out of the media market. While people still want to be informed, they are most gratified, if the information that they got on WhatsApp, is confirmed in print or on television. Media has now become not only a battlefield of misinformation but also an arena of competitive narratives – he cautioned,

While the media has no special concessions in law, its independence has been held to be part of the citizens’ right of informed free speech”. He added, “In a diminishing market for journalistic integrity and rigour, it is heartening to know that there are still bastions of journalistic integrity that are standing out.

A series of raids, arrests and confiscations have not deterred those who have stuck to the straight path” he said.

Hegde further added: “I express my gratitude to those friends from the media, who despite trying circumstances, have not quit fighting the good fight. Whether it be the journalists of Newsclick or Kashmir times, or those who are getting killed on the frontlines in Gaza, the odds seem insurmountable, yet the desire to correctly report the story continues undiminished. I salute this undiminished courage shown by those who have chosen to persist, in comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable.” Recalling the words of George Orwell, he also said, “In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” May the revolution of Satyameva Jayate long continue?”

Among the speakers were representatives of teachers’ unions and labour unions, besides several distinguished journalists with special messages by legal expert and commentator Sanjay Hegde and a brief note by All India Lawyers Union General secretary P.V.Surendranath. 

From a Conference of the AILU General Secretary in a special message P.V. Surendranath General Secretary said: “I am happy that you all joined together here to resist the present onslaught on media and media freedom; the very fundamental right to freedom of thought and expression. The state –present regime has created an architecture of surveillance and media is under it. The oppressive action on Newsclick is not an aberration; intimidation, threat, coercion and sheer white violence will be used selectively; and that is it. Every other who raises voice is ‘anti national’, the new narrative of the regime.  In fact they have become paranoiac. So they fear even voices in the parliament; hence comes en masse suspension and undemocratic passing of draconian laws.

He added: “Now IPC is replaced by Bharathiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)-more draconian than the “colonial’ IPC. The claim of abrogation of sedition – section 124A IPC is fraud on the people- it reappeared in section 152 of BNS in a more virulent draconian form; any criticism against the regime can be treated as against integrity of country and against nation; and to be punished with life imprisonment.” 

Veteran Trade Unionist J. S. Majumdar (CITU), warned that while implementation of the Labour Codes had been stalled because of resistance from workers, they could be implemented after the coming elections. Among others the two Working Journalists Acts that govern working conditions in the media would be totally demolished. He felt that the journalists and working classes have to join in wider struggles to ensure alliances and a democratic upsurge.

Rajeev Kunwar, Delhi University teacher and concerned activist, part of the Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA),   spoke of the mass retrenchment of ad hoc teachers who did not subscribe to the ruling party ideology. He warned that the growing centralisation of both governance and of finances through measures like GST threatens the autonomy of the states and their universities. He said during the Covid period decisions like FYUP, a semester system and New Education Policy were brought in without debate. He said many policy decisions are now taken at the behest of global finance capital. 

Eminent journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta spoke of the attacks on Newsclick, the raids on homes of 88 journalists and staff and the indefinite seizure of 300 personal electronic devices including mobiles, laptops, hard discs etc. that are the basic tools of our trade. He reminded that Prabir Purkayastha and Amit Chakraborty continue to be in jail while the UAPA threat looms over many others.  

S.K. Pande, president of the NAJ and vice president of the DUJ asserted that the last decade had seen journalism and the journalists battered and bruised as never before in an undeclared Emergency amidst dark shadows of creeping fascism and McCarthysm with McCarthyist style witch hunts thrown in. A classic case he added, was the case of NewsClick.

Independent journalism, he added, was being specially targeted. By early next month, Editor Prabir Purkayastha and his colleague would have spent around ninety days in custody. Frequent attacks on the Wire, Kashmir Times, and journalists in Kashmir also laid bare a series of attacks to name a few. The wage fixation machinery is now virtually dead as are all labour laws and journalists’ rights.

Small and medium newspapers and cooperatives are virtually dead and the Urdu press are reduced to nothingness despite its glorious past. The Press Information Bureau is a virtual police information bureau and the veteran journalists’ category, and Parliament central hall passes for journalists news gathering have been reduced to nothingness.

Prominent journalist, Bhasha Singh said we face a crisis of democracy, not just journalism. The mainstream media no longer report news, they report according to a set, dictated agenda. People in a different fields are facing many problems but these are not reported. It is vital now to use small platforms everywhere and connect these to bigger platforms and struggle to promote democracy and rights, she said. 

Another renowned journalist, and feature writer, Rashme Sehgal said there was a lack of transparency and secret hands behind many official decisions. She cited the Agniveer as an example of a scheme that most army persons oppose but for some reason had been pushed through. The top brass did not dare to oppose it openly.  Faraz Ahmed, also representing several years in the journalists’ profession, said that democracy had faced a severe battering and journalism was part of that, with Godi media reducing the media to a farce.

Speaking in solidarity, General Secretary of KUWJ Delhi Unit Dhanasumod spoke of the bright spark of some relief provided in the case of Siddique Kappan fought by the KUWJ both inside and outside the court, but he continues to suffer the agony, he added.

Senior journalist T.K. Rajalakshmi said in the media we face attacks from both within and without. We have to face the employers’ arbitrary decisions, agenda diktats and even retrenchments. The government too is increasingly trying to control media, including social media, through moves like the Telecom Bill and the Broadcasting Bill. However, she said, we must not be disheartened but organise and resist censorship through such means.

The meeting was coordinated by DUJ president Sujata Madhok, general secretary A.M.Jigeesh, among many others at short notice. The meet with slogans and the symbolic lighting of candles as a sign of protest.

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