The run up to elections in any part of the country sees marathon discussions on a range of issues from corruption and healthcare to unemployment, infrastructural developments, transportation, and education etc. But there is a tendency to overlook an integral part of the democratic process, which ensures transparency and accountability in government functioning – press freedom and free speech, both of which have been under severe attack in India over the past many years.
The southern state of Telangana, which goes to polls on November 30, has a total of 58 recorded incidents of attack on free speech between 2018 and 2023. This includes arrests and attacks on journalists, censorship of their content, detention for unfavourable reportage on the ruling government and so on. This is according to data by the Free Speech Collective, a group which aims to protect the right to freedom of expression and the right to dissent.
As per the Free Speech Collective data, a journalist Mamidi Karunakar Reddy and an RTI activist Nalla Ramakrishnaiah were killed while at least four journalists were arrested and another four were attacked.
In June this year, RTI activist Nalla Ramakrishnaiah, a retired Mandal Parishad Development officer was found dead in a pond in Telangana’s Jangaon district. His death, which was found to be a murder, took place after he complained about irregularities in a land issue by the accused, G Anjaiah, who is the husband of a local BRS leader. Later, three persons, with links to the ruling BRS party were arrested in connection with the murder.
Journalist Mamidi Karunakar Reddy was found dead in April this year after he was kidnapped and murdered by unidentified persons on the outskirts of Hyderabad. His family alleged that Mandal Praja Parishad (MPP) president of Kothur, P Madhusudan Reddy was behind the murder as Karunakar was working on a story regarding irregularities in Madhusudan’s land dealings. Madhusudan was later arrested regarding the case on April 19.
In what can be termed as an attempt to intimidate the media, around 40 journalists across Telangana were detained by the police in January 2022, for their alleged unfavourable coverage of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao.
TNM’s report on the incident in January 2022 stated that the reporters alleged that they were subjected to harassment for their extensive coverage during the politically significant Huzurabad bye-election which took place in October 2021. The reporters alleged that they were questioned for nearly 12 hours about their ‘anti-KCR’ stance. “Why are you speaking against the government? Why are you so against the Chief Minister? – These were the questions they kept asking,” alleged Musham Srinivas, a reporter at Tolivelugu, a Telugu digital news channel.
Journalists in Telangana who covered the COVID-19 pandemic also had to face the brunt of the state machinery for showing the government in a poor light. “In Telangana, under review as one of the five states that goes to the polls, bulldozer policing was used to devastating effect on May 22, 2020 to raze to the ground the residence of V6 News Channel journalist Shanigarapu Parameshwar, who reported on the birthday party of MLA Mahareddy Bhupal Reddy with 500 supporters in violation of the lockdown in Narayankhed, Telangana,” said the report.
The study by FSC pointed out that the ruling BRS has displayed an intolerance to free speech and clamped down on journalists and others expressing opinions on social media and YouTubers. “Authorities have stood by while right-wing extremists and vigilantes have assaulted journalists and anyone who speaks out. Trolls and online abusers threaten and intimidate journalists – especially women – with impunity,” the study observed.
Among the four other Indian states that would also be going to polls in November, Chhattisgarh has a total of 32 recorded incidents of attacks on free speech over the last five years, Madhya Pradesh has 24, Mizoram has 5 and Rajasthan has the most with 72.