India: RSF outraged by the continued persecution of journalists Amit Dwivedi and Shailendra Kumar Mishra, beaten and held captive at the hands of a local mayor
Two journalists in Uttar Pradesh, a state in northern India, were physically assaulted and humiliated following their reports that criticised a local mayor. Although seven of their alleged assailants have been arrested, Amit Dwivedi and Shailendra Kumar Mishra continue to be threatened and a police complaint has been brought against them. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the authorities to drop the charges against the reporters, to reinstate their police protection and to bring their assailants to justice.
“We were confined, humiliated and tortured,” says Shailendra Kumar Mishra, a freelance journalist who contributes to the Bharat Samvad news website. “And to top it off, the police slapped a counter-case on us. I have to fight a legal battle and I'm afraid for my family. We have received threats.” The journalist told RSF that he was held captive alongside his colleague Amit Dwivedi, a freelance journalist for the daily Dainik Bhaskar, by the mayor of a small town in southern Uttar Pradesh and his henchmen. The reporters said they were locked in a house for three hours by these men, beaten, threatened with a gun, forced to undress and drink urine.
The attack took place on 27 October 2024, three days after their news report on harassment charges against the mayor. The journalists report that they were also filmed in humiliating situations, confirmed by photographs and videos consulted by RSF. After being released, they filed a complaint and were placed under police protection for a mere six weeks. Seven of the ten accused were arrested but one of them was released on bail on 6 February.
Almost five months later, Shailendra Kumar Mishra and Amit Dwivedi are still living in fear due to threats from someone close to the mayor, who, according to the journalists, warned them that they “would not get away with it next time.” They are also being pursued by the local police, who have filed a complaint against them based on an account given by the owner of the house where they were tortured. The complaint, which has been read by RSF, accuses them of trespassing, intentional insult and criminal intimidation.
"The two journalists were subjected to appalling violence and humiliation simply for doing their job. They are still under threat and no longer have any police protection. Worse still, they are being wrongfully prosecuted by the police. It is unacceptable that these reporters live in fear and are treated like criminals when they are, in fact, victims. RSF calls for all charges against Amit Dwivedi and Shailendra Kumar Mishra to be immediately dropped and for their police protection to be immediately reinstated. The watchdog NGO also calls on the authorities to take firm, urgent action to bring all the assailants to justice.
The persecution of the two journalists is still ongoing. The threats from a person close to the mayor and the counter-complaint from the police have kept the journalists’ lives upended. After the inaction of the Hamirpur district court, which heard the initial complaint, the two journalists took the case to the Allahabad high court. “We have written to everybody from the Prime Minister to the Chief Minister and local level leaders asking for the fake cases to be dropped and for those who tortured us to be punished, but to no avail,” lamented Shailendra Kumar Mishra.
As Amit Dwivedi told RSF, “I don't know how I will be able to carry on in this unequal contest. The opponents are powerful and have a lot of money.” He added that he has been forced to leave his home and go into hiding, fearing for his safety and that of his loved ones. “I can no longer work and report the news. The process of seeking justice feels like a punishment, and we committed no crime to deserve this. We just did our work as journalists.”
Contacted on multiple occasions, the superintendent at the Jariya police station and his deputy, who are in charge of the case, have not responded to RSF request for comments.
