I strongly condemn the action of the Assam Police in issuing summons to senior journalists @SVaradarajan and #KaranThapar of @thewire_in. The...
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin condemned Assam Police summons issued to journalists Siddharth Varadarajan and Karan Thapar, opposing the misuse of criminal laws.
M.K.Stalin@mkstalinOriginal post
I strongly condemn the action of the Assam Police in issuing summons to senior journalists @SVaradarajan and #KaranThapar of @thewire_in.
The summons have been issued despite the Supreme Court granting protection in a related matter only days earlier. No copy of the FIR and no particulars of the case have been furnished, leaving only the threat of arrest. Section 152 of the BNS is being misused as a substitute for the repealed sedition law to suppress independent journalism.
A democracy cannot survive if asking questions is treated as sedition.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin issued a strongly worded statement condemning the Assam Police for issuing investigative summons to senior investigative journalists Siddharth Varadarajan and Karan Thapar of the independent news portal The Wire. Stalin highlighted that the police notices were issued in flagrant disregard of interim protection granted by the Supreme Court of India only days earlier, underscoring that authorities failed to furnish a copy of the First Information Report (FIR) or specific case details.
The Chief Minister asserted that the high-handed police action leaves the journalists under constant threat of arbitrary arrest, representing a calculated effort to intimidate free investigative journalism. Stalin pointed out that Section 152 of the newly enacted Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) is being aggressively misused as a substitute for the repealed colonial-era sedition law to silence critical reporting and penalize journalists questioning government policies.
Stalin concluded that a constitutional democracy cannot survive if asking legitimate questions of power is treated as an act of treason or sedition. He demanded the immediate withdrawal of coercive police actions, reaffirming the DMK's steadfast commitment to defending freedom of the press and civil liberties.