WR Desk: Indian police have been accused of using excessive and targeted force against journalists covering youth-led protests in New Delhi, raising fresh concerns over press freedom under the Modi regime.
The revelations were reported by British newspaper The Independent in a report filed by Arpan Chaturvedi, Shivangi Acharya & Saurabh Sharma on October 13, 2026.
The Independent reported that nearly three dozen journalists from outlets including the Indian Express, Scroll and Newslaundry were detained for hours before being released, according to Reuters interviews. Some were dragged and roughly handled by police and their phones were seized, according to a Reuters reporter at the scene, journalists interviewed, and footage from mainstream and digital news outlets.
he protests were mobilised by the “cockroach” youth movement, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), and supported by opposition parties, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Protesters allege names of more than 130 million voters were deleted from the electoral roll to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“The actions of the Indian authorities during the ongoing student protests, led by the Cockroach Janta Party, demonstrate how their tactics are designed to stifle media coverage and can be combined to suppress journalism,” The Independent quoted Ritika Jain, India representative of Reporters Without Borders, as saying.
“Detention, surveillance, internet shutdowns, and the removal of journalistic content form a chain of restrictions.”
The Press Club of India, the nation’s largest journalist group, called the police action “a blatant attack on the freedom of press,” the report added. India ranks 157 out of 180 countries in the press freedom index of Reporters Without Borders, having fallen from 133 a decade ago.
Meanwhile, the crackdown has intensified. Two CJP leaders, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were sent to five-day judicial custody and lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail on Wednesday.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke slammed the Modi government, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi was imposing an “unofficial emergency.”
Talking to reporters in Nagpur, Dipke said, “I want to tell Narendra Modi that if you want to impose emergency in the country, then do it officially.What is this, acting like cowards, imposing an unofficial emergency where you keep people in custody for five days just for waving the national flag at Jantar Mantar,” he said.