India

(WAN/IFEX) – In a letter to Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, WAN has expressed its serious concern at an attack on the home of newspaper editor Jeelani Qadri. According to reports, early on the morning of 23 November 1999, Kashmiri militants threw a grenade at the Srinigar home of Qadri, editor of the daily […]

(RSF/IFEX) – In a 15 October 1999 letter to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, RSF expressed its indignation over the murder of N. A. Lalrohlu, editor of the local vernacular newspaper “Shan”. RSF asked that “a serious and thorough investigation is conducted to identify and punish the authors of the murder, which seems to be […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – CPJ is deeply concerned by the latest efforts to suppress discussion of the social and environmental costs of Gujarat’s Sardar Sarovar dam construction, part of a controversial irrigation and hydroelectric project along the Narmada River. India’s Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing for 29 July 1999, to decide whether to initiate contempt of […]

(PPF/IFEX) – According to PPF, Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL), India’s sole gateway to the Internet, has blocked the web site of Pakistan’s leading English language daily newspaper, “Dawn”. According to “The Times of India”, Internet users in India have been unable to connect to the “Dawn” website for more than a week. A VSNL […]

(IFJ/IFEX) – The following is a letter received by the IFJ from the minister of information of Pakistan in response to a 9 June 1999 IFEX alert update: **Updates IFEX alerts of 9 and 4 June 1999** Mr. Aidan White, General Secretary, International Federation of Journalists, Brussels, Belgium. From: Mr. Mushahid Hussain Minister for Information, […]

(IFJ/IFEX) – IFJ General Secretary Aidan White met Indian Minister of Information and Communication Pramod Mahajan on 9 June 1999. **Updates IFEX alert of 4 June 1999** White raised the IFJ’s concerns, similar to those raised by other organisations, about the ban on Pakistan television by the Indian authorities. The IFJ notes that on the […]

(PPF/IFEX) – In New Delhi on 2 June 1999, the Indian minister for information and broadcasting, Pramod Mahajan, banned the transmission of Pakistan Television (PTV) by cable operators. According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), Mahajan said cable operators throughout the country would be prohibited from telecasting PTV programmes because of the “vilification campaign against India, especially […]

(HRW/IFEX) – The following is a Human Rights Watch press release: INQUIRY NEEDED INTO CALCUTTA INSTITUTE CENSORSHIP (New York, April 9) – Human Rights Watch today urged the Indian government to ensure that political tensions in the country do not spill over and restrict academic freedom. In an open letter to Indian president K.R. Narayanan, […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – CPJ is deeply disturbed by the murder of Anil Rattan, a free-lance journalist and former correspondent for the Hong Kong-based magazine “AsiaWeek”. Rattan’s killing marks the third murder of a journalist in the Indian capital in less than two months. Police say that Rattan’s body was discovered in the bathroom of his Delhi […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – CPJ is deeply disturbed by the murder of Anil Rattan, a free-lance journalist and former correspondent for the Hong Kong-based magazine “AsiaWeek”. Rattan’s killing marks the third murder of a journalist in the Indian capital in less than two months. Police say that Rattan’s body was discovered in the bathroom of his Delhi […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – CPJ is deeply disturbed by reports that Naresh Kumar Kalita, news editor of the Assamese-language newspaper “Agradoot,” is now being detained under the National Security Act (NSA), which allows for preventive detention without trial. **Updates IFEX alerts of 25 February and 11 February 1999; for background on the Ajit Bhuyan case see IFEX […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – CPJ is deeply concerned over the prolonged detention of Naresh Kumar Kalita, news editor of the Assamese language newspaper “Agradoot.” ** Updates IFEX alert of 11 February 1999** On 25 February 1999, Guwahati’s High Court rejected Kalita’s bail petition for the second time in two weeks. Police arrested the journalist at his home […]

(RSF/IFEX) – RSF is protesting the arrests of three senior journalists in the state of Assam. According to RSF’s information, on 10 February 1999, Naresh Kalita, news editor of the vernacular daily “Agradoot”, was arrested by the police on charges of aiding and abetting separatist militants. A police statement said that he was jailed after […]

(WAN/IFEX) – The following is a WAN press release: **Updates IFEX alerts of 28 January 1999** Paris, 10 February 1999 For immediate release Indian Journalist’s Murder Sparks International Concern The World Association of Newspapers has asked the Indian government to ensure a quick and thorough investigation into the murder of Indian journalist Shivani Bhatnagar, a […]

(RSF/IFEX) – RSF is filled with consternation following the murder of Shivani Bhatnagar, of “The Indian Express”. According to RSF’s information, on 23 January 1999, Bhatnagar, special correspondent for the daily “The Indian Express”, was murdered by unknown assailants at her home in east Delhi. She was strangled, stabbed in the neck and hit on […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – CPJ is expressing its deep dismay over the brutal murder of Shivani Bhatnagar, special correspondent for the prestigious English-language daily newspaper “The Indian Express”. On 23 January 1999, unknown assailants entered Bhatnagar’s East Delhi apartment, strangled her with a length of wire, and then stabbed her in the neck and abdomen with kitchen […]