Published Oct 12, 2026 | 2:29 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 12, 2026 | 3:36 PM
DIGIPUB said independent and digital journalists appeared to be bearing the brunt of the action.
Synopsis: Press clubs and journalists’ associations have condemned the detention and assault of reporters covering anti-SIR protests in Delhi since October 10, demanding the release of those still in custody, the return of seized equipment and independent inquiries. The Chennai Press Club, the Delhi Union of Journalists, the Press Club of India and DIGIPUB News India Foundation have called on the Delhi Police and the Union government to comply with the Supreme Court’s directions against illegal detention and ensure journalists can report without obstruction.
Press clubs and journalists’ associations across the country have condemned the detention and assault of journalists covering anti-SIR protests in Delhi since Saturday, October 10, and demanded the immediate release of those still in custody, the return of seized equipment and independent inquiries into the police action.
The Chennai Press Club, the Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ), the Press Club of India (PCI) and DIGIPUB News India Foundation have called on the Delhi Police and the Union government to comply with the Supreme Court’s directions against illegal detention and ensure that journalists, irrespective of the platforms they work for, can report without obstruction.
As of Monday, October 12, the Delhi and Mumbai press clubs and the Editors Guild of India had not issued statements on the incidents. The Bengaluru Press Club is bound by the model code of conduct in force for the Karnataka Legislative Council elections and is not authorised to issue a statement without clearance from the returning officer.
In a statement on Monday, the Chennai Press Club condemned the detention, assault and harassment of journalists in Delhi and expressed concern over reports of similar incidents in Ahmedabad and Pune. It named journalists from The Indian Express, Hindustan Times, Business Standard, Navbharat Times, Scroll, Newslaundry and Reuters among those detained or assaulted, along with independent and digital journalists.
The Chennai Press Club strongly condemns the high handed and unacceptable actions of the Delhi Police in detaining, assaulting and harassing journalists covering public demonstrations in Delhi. Reports of similar incidents involving journalists in Ahmedabad and Pune are equally disturbing.
Journalists from several media organisations, including The Indian Express, Hindustan Times, Business Standard, Navbharat Times, Scroll, Newslaundry and Reuters, along with independent and digital journalists, have been detained or physically assaulted while performing their professional duties. The reported assault of women journalists makes these incidents even more alarming.
The police action is a direct attack on press freedom and the public’s right to know. Journalists are not lawbreakers simply because they report on protests. Using force, intimidation and arbitrary detention to obstruct media coverage is unacceptable in a democracy and raises serious questions about the authorities’ respect for constitutional freedoms.
Chennai Press Club demands an immediate end to the harassment of journalists, an independent inquiry into the reported incidents, and accountability for those responsible. The authorities must ensure that every journalist, irrespective of their organisation or platform, can carry out their professional duties without fear of violence or intimidation.
Silencing journalists is an assault on democracy itself. Chennai Press Club stands firmly in solidarity with the journalists targeted in these incidents.
— Chennai Press Club | சென்னை பத்திரிகையாளர் மன்றம் (@MadrasJournos) October 12, 2026
The press club demanded an immediate end to the harassment, an independent inquiry into the reported incidents and accountability for those responsible. It said journalists were not lawbreakers simply because they reported on protests and called on the authorities to ensure that reporters could perform their duties without violence or intimidation, irrespective of their organisation or platform.
On Saturday, the DUJ and the PCI issued a joint statement condemning the arbitrary detention of journalists, harassment and seizure of their equipment during the protests in the capital.
The same day, DIGIPUB said journalists from The Indian Express, Peek TV, Hindustan Times and several Malayalam news channels had been put on buses despite showing their press cards. Several YouTube and digital journalists had also been detained and physically assaulted, with some dragged away, it said.
The Supreme Court, during a special sitting on Sunday, directed that “there shall be no detention of any individual except in accordance with the procedure established by law”, particularly peaceful and unarmed people outside areas where prohibitory orders were in force. The court was hearing petitions arising from the Delhi Police’s handling of the protests. Police continued to detain protesters and journalists through Sunday, DIGIPUB said.
“The order is clear. The response on the ground has been the opposite,” DIGIPUB said.
According to the DUJ and the PCI, the Delhi Police detained hundreds of people on Saturday. Journalists covering the protest were bundled into police buses and taken to detention centres, including Chhatrasal Stadium and Chanakyapuri Police Station, their joint statement said.
Those detained included journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and reporters from The Quint, The Wire, Scroll, Reporter TV, Navbharat Times and Newslaundry. Reporters said they were detained while filming police action despite displaying their press cards. The organisations also reported complaints that police personnel had seized journalists’ official reporting phones and other equipment.
The DUJ and the PCI said the police had earlier maintained that only journalists accredited by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) would be allowed to report on the protests. They rejected this restriction, saying independent and digital journalists without PIB accreditation were also recognised as members of the press under the law.
Digital journalists deserve the same rights, protection and respect as any newsroom.
DIGIPUB demands unhindered access for all journalists, legacy or digital, to cover protests in Delhi and across the country.
@DelhiPolice @HMOIndia @LtGovDelhi @indSupremeCourt https://t.co/H3JBDCPznP— DIGIPUB News India Foundation (@DigipubIndia) October 11, 2026
DIGIPUB said independent and digital journalists appeared to be bearing the brunt of the action. It demanded the immediate release of all detained journalists, unhindered access for reporters covering protests and an independent inquiry into the detentions and assaults. It also called on the Delhi Police and the Union government to ensure that journalists received equal protection irrespective of the platforms they worked for.
“Detaining a journalist with a press card and a microphone is not crowd control. It is an attempt to stop the public from seeing what is happening,” DIGIPUB said.
“A government that champions ‘Digital India’ cannot treat digital journalists and creators as second-class members of the press. Obstructing the press is obstructing democracy,” it said.
The Caravan reported on Monday that the Delhi Police had detained and brutally beaten its assistant multimedia producer, Ryan Thomas, while he was covering the protests on Sunday. The police also tried to seize his phone and force him to delete footage he had recorded, the publication said.
The Delhi Police detained and brutally beat up The Caravan’s assistant multimedia producer, Ryan Thomas, on 11 October. Ryan was covering the protests against Gyanesh Kumar and SIR, which the government has tried to quash with an unprecedented police mobilisation in the capital, with multiple trains and metros halted, and with internet shut down across central Delhi.
Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court had directed that, among other things, journalists “shall not be hindered in discharge of their professional duties in any manner whatsoever.” Police tried to seize Ryan phone and force him to delete footage he had recorded.
Video by Amrita Singh (@singhamritaa), Puja Sen (@psen9) and Shahid Tantray (@shahidtantray)
— The Caravan (@thecaravanindia) October 12, 2026
Newslaundry executive editor Manisha Pande said journalist Ramit Verma, known for his work behind the satirical platform The Peeing Human, was picked up near Connaught Place’s inner circle.
Citing journalists Basant Raj Sonu and Awadhesh Kumar, Pande said groups of right-wing men were singling out students and protesters associated with Left unions. The men accused Verma of trying to burn shops, a charge Pande described as baseless. Security personnel took Verma away while the men confronting protesters were allowed to move freely, she said.
Veteran journalist Srinivas Jain separately reported that at least seven journalists were detained at RK Ashram Marg in central Delhi. Several were pushed roughly into a police van after a confrontation with a police officer, he said.
Jain said the officer in charge, Angad Mehta, told him that the journalists had surrounded and aggressively questioned a policeman and that one of them had pushed the officer. Jain said he could not independently verify the allegation.
Mehta told Jain that the police had nothing against journalists but expected them to respect boundaries. He also said he would order their release. Jain questioned why six or seven journalists had been detained even if an officer had been pushed.
Maktoob Media said a group of men wearing press cards surrounded, threatened and verbally abused its journalist Fida Fathima while she was covering the protests on Sunday.
A video recorded by Fida shows men wearing press lanyards shouting “Topi Media”, an Islamophobic slur, at her and accusing the journalists of insulting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Fida is heard repeatedly asking the men which organisation they represented and demanding that they show their press identity cards. They refused to identify their affiliations and continued shouting at her.
“We are here to report what is happening,” Fida tells the men, demanding that they stop spreading communal poison.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
