India: Media’s Crackdown During COVID-19 Lockdown

This report was published by the Rights and Risks Analysis Group, New Delhi, on June 15, 2020. It examines the “crackdown on the media” for reporting during the Covid-19 lockdown.Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a nationwide lockdown to stem the spread of Covid-19 in India on March 24. The report states that locking down the country without prior intimation or preparation was “…bound to turn into a massive humanitarian crisis.” Millions of poor migrant workers were left with no work, food or shelter, and no means of transport to go back home.On March 31, the Supreme Court upheld the media’s right to discuss Covid-19 in response to an affidavit filed by the central government. The government claimed that inaccurate reporting by the media may potentially cause panic among the public. Despite the judgement, the report states, central and state governments kept targeting journalists who were “…risking their lives [because of the virus] to convey the news of mismanagement, deficiencies, corruption, and lack of adequate PPE [personal protective equipment] at hospitals.”The report contains four chapters: ‘Crackdown for reporting COVID-19’s worst humanitarian crisis is systematic’ (chapter 1), 'Laws invoked against the media persons' (chapter 2), ‘Crackdown on journalists during the lockdown’ (chapter 3), and a conclusion (chapter 4).