Kerala, Tamil Nadu CMs slam Assam police for summoning senior journalists on sedition charges

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Wednesday sharply criticised the Assam Police after senior journalists Karan Thapar and Siddharth Varadarajan were summoned under sedition-related charges. 

Both leaders described the move as an attack on press freedom and part of a broader attempt to muzzle independent journalism.

In a strongly worded post on X, Vijayan condemned the use of Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), calling it “draconian” and equating it with fascistic tendencies. “Strongly condemn the FIRs against eminent journalists Karan Thapar & Siddharth Varadarajan by Assam Police under the draconian Section 152 of BNS. This move seeks to silence independent journalism – the bedrock of democracy – and is part of a fascistic trend. Democratic forces must unite & stand with bold voices of truth,” the Kerala CM said.

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Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin also lashed out at the Assam Police, warning that democracy itself would be imperilled if journalists were punished for asking questions. “Democracy can't survive if asking questions is treated as sedition,” Stalin said in his X post. He accused the Assam Police of misusing Section 152 of the BNS, which critics say is being applied as a substitute for the repealed sedition law.

The Guwahati Police Crime Branch issued summons to Varadarajan and Thapar, both senior figures at digital news platform The Wire, asking them to appear on August 22. The development has triggered nationwide concern, particularly since the Supreme Court had recently extended protection in a related matter. Stalin pointed out that no copy of the FIR or case particulars had been provided to the journalists, leaving them with only the “threat of arrest.”

The controversy has added to the growing debate on the application of the new criminal laws and its implications for press freedom in India.