CHENNAI: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a prominent media watchdog says the Indian media is under attack, and they urged US President Joe Biden to urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop the threats against journalists in India.
In a statement released ahead of Modi's official state visit to the US, CPJ said "India is the world's largest democracy, yet it is one of the world's most dangerous countries for the media."
In a full-page ad published by CPJ and its partner organizations in the Washington Post last Wednesday, they highlight how the journalists in India are facing Physical violence, harassment, bogus lawsuits, and hate campaigns on social media. In the statement, they call on President Biden to urge Modi to end what they called a "media crackdown" and release the six journalists arbitrarily detained in retaliation for their work.
"India is the world’s largest democracy, and it needs to live up to that by ensuring a free and independent media– and we expect the United States to make this a core element of discussions,” said CPJ President Jodie Ginsberg.
"Since Prime Minister Modi came to power in 2014, there has been an increasing crackdown on India's media," she added.
"India is the world's largest democracy, and it needs to live up to that by ensuring a free and independent media- we expect the United States to make this a core element of discussions," she said.
Prime Minister Modi arrived in the United States on June 21 for his first official state visit.