India: Critical commentary on the conflict with Pakistan censored, journalists targeted while communities face military operations

India’s civic space is rated as ‘repressed’ by the CIVICUS Monitor. In recent years, the government has misused the draconian anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and other laws to keep activists behind bars and fabricate cases against activists and journalists for undertaking their work. The authorities have blocked access to foreign funding for NGOs and human rights defenders, using the restrictive Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA). Travel restrictions have been imposed on academics, journalists and human rights defenders by suspending their work visas, denying them entry to the country and cancelling their Overseas Citizen of India status.

The Geneva-based United Nations-linked Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions’ (GANHRI) sub-committee on accreditation report (SCA) in March 2025 recommended downgrading India’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) from category ‘A’ to category ‘B’. Among the concerns was the failure to address “shrinking civic space and increased instances of targeting human rights defenders, journalists and perceived critics.”

On 22nd April 2025, a group of militants opened fire on a gathering of 40 tourists in Pahalgam in South Kashmir, leaving at least 26 people, including two foreign tourists, dead - making it the first major terror attack on civilians in Kashmir since the government ended Jammu & Kashmir’s special status by abolishing Article 370 in 2019. In the hours following the attack, the Resistant Front, an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba - a Pakistan-based Islamist and militant organisation - claimed responsibility for the attack.

In the aftermath of the attack, India launched Operation Sindoor - a name inspired by the red vermillion worn by married women - in reference to those women who were widowed in the attack. In the week that followed, India targeted and destroyed terror camps and military bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Pakistan has continued to deny any involvement in the attack and has described the strikes as ‘unprovoked’. UN Secretary-General António Guterres quickly called for "maximum restraint" - a sentiment echoed by the European Union and numerous countries.

In recent months, the government has blocked social media accounts, a news site and targeted critics, including journalists, around the attacks in Kashmir and conflict with Pakistan. There has been ongoing targeting of journalists while students have been detained for protests. Security and attacks have been ramped up in tribal-majority districts in Chhattisgarh and there has been militarisation of Adivasi land in Bastar, while the crackdown on dissent in Assam deepens. There have also been further controls of civil society under the draconian FCRA law while violations in Indian-administered Kashmir continue to be documented.

Expression

Censorship of digital space and media following attacks in Kashmir

Following the militant attack in Kashmir, India blocked social media accounts and YouTube channels, while journalists and others were criminalised.

On 29th April 2025, the Indian government ordered the blocking of the YouTube channel 4PM News Network - citing national security and public order - following its coverage of the anti-war movement. The channel remains offline at the time of writing. The Editors Guild of India said that it was “deeply concerned” by the government’s directive “without any disclosure of the specific reasons or evidence, and without following principles of natural justice”.

In the same month, police in Uttar Pradesh launched criminal investigations into political commentators and satirists Neha Singh Rathore and academic Madri Kakoti, for allegedly ‘inciting unrest and threatening national unity’ through their online posts about the attack.

The government also ordered the blocking of accounts of some international news organisations, as well as 16 YouTube news channels linked to Pakistan.

In May 2025, the authorities ordered the blocking of over 8,000 social media accounts on Twitter (X) including the Kashmir-based news outlets Free Press Kashmir and The Kashmiriyat and Maktoob Media, which focuses on human rights and minorities.

The Ministry of Electronics and IT also temporarily blocked the Indian news website The Wire on 9th May 2025, apparently in retaliation for an article it published about India’s fighter jet procurement. The Wire reported that its site went dark without notice after posting a CNN-sourced story about Rafale jets, and though it was later unblocked, the outlet is now pursuing legal action against the government for this blatant infringement of press freedom.

In May 2025, The Nagpur police arrested, Rejaz M. Sheeba Sydeek, a Kerala-based journalist, for posting a social media message criticising Operation Sindoor. The journalist, who has been actively reporting on human rights issues in southern states, was arrested at a hotel in Nagpur, Maharashtra. The Lakadganj police station accused Rejaz of being a member of the banned CPI (Maoist) organisation. On 16th May 2025, he was charged under various laws including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), a draconian law used to criminalise activists. Rejaz has been writing for the news platforms Maktoob and Counter Currents.

Journalist Hilal Mir, a senior journalist based in Srinagar - who has previously worked with leading Indian and international news organisations - was placed under preventive detention from 7th until 13th May 2025 for allegedly ‘spreading anti-national content and promoting secessionist ideology online’.

These acts have drawn sharp criticism, adding that at a time of military tension, blocking online media and social accounts not only violates the public’s right to information but also fuels disinformation by eliminating credible news sources.

Academic arrested for critical remarks linked to conflict with Pakistan

In May 2025, Ali Khan Mahmudabad, an associate professor and the head of the political science department at Ashoka University, was arrested for critical social media comments made linked to the conflict with Pakistan.

He stated that while there was praise for one of the armed forces spokespersons for media briefings on Operation Sindoor, there was silence around “victims of mob lynchings, arbitrary bulldozing” and the ruling-party “BJP’s hate mongering.”

Following his comments, the Haryana police filed a report against the Professor based on articles 152 (sedition), 353 (statements conducive to public mischief) and 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult modesty of a woman) of the Indian criminal code, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

On 19th May 2025, Aakar Patel, chair of the board at Amnesty International India, said: “The Haryana police must stop treating Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad like a criminal simply for expressing an opinion. The shameful arrest of the Professor for a social media post seeking support for justice for victims of lynching and ‘bulldozer injustice’ in the country is a violation of his rights to freedom of expression and liberty.”

Ongoing targeting of journalists

India continues to rank among the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists, with a climate of growing censorship, surveillance, and criminalisation of dissent. According to Reporters Without Borders’ 2025 Press Freedom Index, India is ranked in 151st place and remains in the bottom 30 out of 180 countries, citing the country’s “toxic ecosystem for press freedom.”

According to Human Rights Defenders – Alert (HRDA), on 6th March 2025, journalist Mujeeb Shaikh was detained while covering a peaceful women-led demonstration against war in Hyderabad. He was picked up by plainclothes police, denied access to a lawyer, and held overnight.

On 30th March 2025, in another incident, South First's journalist Sumit Jha was detained by Hyderabad Police while reporting on a student protest at the University of Hyderabad against the clearing of forest land marked for auction by the Telangana government.

HRDA reported that in April 2025, unidentified persons set fire to the residence of Md Faqar Uddin, a journalist with Pratibadi Kalam in Damcherra, north Tripura. Uddin, who had reported extensively on crimes like drug peddling and consumption. Uddin and his family narrowly escaped harm as the fire engulfed their home. The incident followed weeks of anonymous threats against his reporting.

On 15th May 2025, journalist Dharmendra Singh Chauhan, who had been investigating illegal land encroachments involving local politicians in Haryana’s Karnal district, was shot dead outside his home. Police initially attempted to dismiss the incident as a robbery gone wrong, but further investigation and public pressure revealed clear indications of targeted killing. The Editors Guild of India and international press freedom groups, including the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), condemned the murder and demanded an independent judicial probe.

Teacher detained for social media message on Gaza

In Tamil Nadu, on 20th March 2025, school teacher Zakhir Hussain was detained by local police after posting a critical message on social media condemning the state’s silence on the Gaza crisis. According to HRDA, Hussain was arrested under Section 153A (promoting enmity between groups) despite there being no incitement to violence in his post. HRDA noted that Hussain's arrest reflects growing state hostility toward teachers and academics engaging with global human rights issues.

Peaceful Assembly

The constitutional right to peaceful assembly is routinely undermined through unlawful detentions, disproportionate police response, and arbitrary disciplinary actions. Over the past decade, student and grassroots-led protests have increasingly been met with institutional repression.

Notably, several activists arrested in the aftermath of the 2020 Delhi riots - among them Umar Khalid and Gulfisha Fatima - remain in prolonged pre-trial detention under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). In the same period, student leaders associated with the Bhima Koregaon case - including Ramesh Gaichor, Sagar Gorkhe and others -continue to be denied bail.

Students detained for peace march in Hyderabad

On 18th March 2025, student protesters from Osmania University in Hyderabad were detained while marching peacefully to express solidarity with victims of sexual violence and caste-based discrimination. According to documentation by HRDA, the march had been denied police permission the day before, citing law and order concerns. Despite this, students proceeded non-violently but were met with a disproportionate police presence. Around 20 students were detained and transported to different police stations without proper explanation or access to legal counsel. Organisers alleged verbal abuse and intimidation while in custody.

Kerala students detained for solidarity protests

On 29th April 2025, eight students were arrested in Kochi while holding a peaceful demonstration in solidarity with victims of the Kashmir conflict and those killed in the Indo-Pakistani strikes. The protestors, including student union members, held placards and recited slogans outside Maharaja’s College. Police detained them without warrant, citing possible breach of public peace. All were released the next day but are now facing sedition charges under colonial-era laws still on the books despite public demands for their repeal.

On 10th May 2025, police blocked an anti-war rally in Thrissur organised by the People’s Anti-War Front. Eleven activists were arrested and taken into preventive custody.

Association

Security and attacks ramped up in tribal-majority districts in Chhattisgarh

On 1st May 2025, over 160 civil society organisations, including the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), issued a joint statement calling for an immediate ceasefire and unconditional dialogue between the Indian state and Maoist forces in Chhattisgarh. The appeal followed a sharp escalation in state-led counterinsurgency operations in the Bastar region, which has seen increased militarisation, intensified surveillance, and frequent reports of extrajudicial killings. Backed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s declaration of “zero tolerance” towards Naxalism (Maoist communist ideology), the newly elected BJP government under Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has ramped up security deployments in tribal-majority districts, pledging to eradicate Maoist presence by 2026.

Over 287 alleged Maoists were killed by security forces in 2024 alone — a staggering increase from 20 in 2023 — raising alarms about the accuracy of government narratives and the possibility of staged encounters. Tribal residents and rights groups allege that many of those killed were unarmed civilians, including minors and women, whose deaths were falsely labelled as anti-Naxal victories.

Militarisation of Adivasi land in Bastar

Simultaneously, over 160 security camps have been established across Bastar (a district in the state of Chhattisgarh) , often on Adivasi (indigenous) land, without due process or community consent as mandated by the Forest Rights Act and PESA.

Activists say the militarisation of Bastar appears less about protecting civilians and more about enabling extractive industries in mineral-rich zones. Mining clearances have accelerated, and villages resisting dispossession have faced repression, including violent crackdowns on protests. The joint civil society appeal urged the state to stop military operations, demilitarise the region, release wrongfully detained Adivasis, and re-centre tribal autonomy and justice within any peace-building process.

Crackdown on dissent in Assam deepens

As of 1st June 2025, at least 81 individuals in Assam have been arrested and labelled “anti-national” for allegedly expressing sympathy toward Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack. This sweeping action—justified by the state government as a measure against “pro-terror sentiment”—has drawn sharp condemnation from civil rights groups, journalists, and political commentators. Many have pointed out the dangerous precedent it sets for criminalising expression and dissent in an already fragile rights environment.

The recent spate of arrests comes on the heels of a Supreme Court directive in May 2025, ordering the Assam State Human Rights Commission to conduct an “independent and expeditious” investigation into 171 alleged fake encounters carried out under Sarma’s administration. These extrajudicial killings, often described as "encounter justice," have been widely condemned as systematic attempts to eliminate dissent, bypass the rule of law, and consolidate authoritarian power under the guise of maintaining order.

Further controls of civil society under the FCRA

On 27th May 2025, it was reported that NGOs engaged in publication-related activities and receiving foreign contributions, will not be able to publish any newsletters and must get a certificate from the Registrar of the Newspaper for India that it does not circulate any news content. The new rules are for NGOs seeking registration under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, it said.

The Indian government has increasingly used the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) to restrict foreign funding for CSOs. The law and its amendments have been used to target and harass civil society and human rights defenders (HRDs), who very often express criticism and dissent towards the government. The Indian government has also brazenly used its federal law enforcement agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation, Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax Department to harass CSOs and HRDs and criminalise them for their human rights work and for speaking out on human rights issues.

Violations in Indian-administered Kashmir

Civil society groups continue to document restrictions in Indian-administered Kashmir. According to the Kashmir Law & Justice Project, numerous Kashmiri journalists, human rights defenders, political activists, and dissenters continue to be arbitrarily detained.

Human rights defender Khurram Parvez, has now spent over three and a half years in arbitrary detention under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) – a counter-terrorism law that has been widely condemned by experts and the United Nations (UN) for violating legal rules and norms, including by enabling prolonged pre-trial incarceration. Journalist Irfan Mehraj has been imprisoned for over two years and human rights lawyer Mian Abdul Qayoom imprisoned for around a year.

Individuals have been arrested and charged for their social media posts. On 3rd April 2025, the authorities blocked at least 200 additional social media accounts from the region for their ‘anti-national’ content.