Several journalists including the Indian Express’s Basharat Masood, Hindustan Times’ Ashiq Hussain and most recently, The Hindu’s Peerzada Ashiq, were orally summoned by the J&K police this month, while the phone of The Wire’s Jehangir Ali was seized in December.
“According to reports, the journalists were also pressured to sign bonds or affidavits to the effect that they will not undertake any activity to "disturb the peace", whatever that may mean or imply.
Press Club of India has strongly condemned the Jammu and Kashmir Police's decision to orally summon several journalists, including Srinagar-based reporters of at least three national dailies, for questioning without providing them with specific reasons while doing so.
An officer, who did not wish to be named, told The Indian Express that the police had sought to take preventive action under Section 126 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, claiming it had information he would commit a “breach of peace” or disturb “public tranquillity”. This section states that if the magistrate is of the opinion that there is sufficient ground for proceeding, he may require such person to show cause why he should not be ordered to execute a bond or bail bond for keeping the peace.
In the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, India's ranking is 151st out of 180 countries.
While this reflects a slight upward movement from previous years (159th in 2024 and 161st in 2023), the report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) continues to classify the situation in India as "very serious."
