New Delhi, August 20, 2025—Two police branches in northeastern Indian state of Assam opened separate criminal investigations into Siddharth Varadarajan, editor for independent news website The Wire, its entire editorial team, including Hindi language editor Ashutosh Bhardwaj and contributor Karan Thapar, and the outlet’s parent company, the Foundation for Independent Journalism (FIJ). The investigations are related to several articles and interviews published after the deadly attacks on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir in April and the ensuing India-Pakistan military escalation.
Pakistani journalist Najam Sethi, who was interviewed multiple times by Thapar during the escalating tension between the two countries, was also named in the investigation.
“By twice initiating investigations under a law currently being legally challenged for its resemblance to a colonial-era sedition law, and defying a Supreme Court ruling, Assam police are misusing the legal system to intimidate journalists,” said Kunāl Majumder, CPJ’s India representative. “Authorities must immediately withdraw these summonses against The Wire editors and journalists and end the misuse of security laws to target journalists for their work so they can report freely without fear of arrest.”
On July 11, police in Morigaon district in Assam opened an investigation into Varadarajan and the FIJ owners in relation to a June 29 report alleging the Indian Armed Forces lost fighter jets to Pakistani forces, quoting an Indian military official.
On August 12, the Supreme Court granted protection to Varadarajan and FIJ owners from arrest stemming from this investigation.
The same day, the Assam Police Crime Branch in Guwahati, the state capital, issued summonses to Varadarajan and Thapar in connection with a separate investigation. That investigation, registered on May 9, cites 12 news articles and interviews with journalists, defense experts, and columnists, according to CPJ’s review of the First Information Report, which opens an investigation.
Both investigations accuse The Wire journalists of violating Section 152 of the country’s penal code for “endangering the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India.”
Section 152, which came into effect in July 2024, is currently being challenged in court as a rebranded version of the colonial-era sedition law, which the Supreme Court suspended in May 2022. Section 152 carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Police inspector Soumarjyoti Ray, who issued the summons, told CPJ by phone he would not comment on the case.
This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.