Journalist Shoaib Daniyal had barely stepped out his door when he saw the police checkpoint at the end of his driveway.
asserted
he → step → driveway
So, the 40-year-old struck up a conversation with the officer about the protest he was heading to for work.
asserted
he → strike → work
"He became suspicious, he became angry [and] said, 'I'm going to detain you.'"
Indian laws allow police to detain people without a warrant in certain circumstances if they reasonably suspect someone has committed, or will commit, a crime.
asserted
someone → become → crime
But Daniyal said no explanation was provided before he was hauled onto a bus.
asserted
he → say → bus
The Committee to Protect Journalists reported 43 reporters had been detained across the country over two days in October, most of them in the capital.
asserted
most → report → capital
While India sits at 157 out of 180 countries in press freedom rankings, down from 140 in 2019, according to the Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index, journalists who spoke to the ABC said watching police push, pull and carry reporters onto buses was something they never anticipated seeing in Delhi.
"In the national capital, where you have such a concentration of journalists, you would not have a government that would feel confident enough to do this because of the outrage it would evoke," said Manisha Pande, editor-in-chief of digital news company Newslaundry.
uncertain
Pande → sit → Newslaundry
The detentions come as Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces one of the biggest challenges to his leadership since taking power in 2014.
asserted
Modi → come → 2014
This month, demonstrators held rallies across the country calling for the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging a national revision of voter rolls was being used to favour the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
asserted
revision → hold → Party
It was the second wave of major protests in India this year, after the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party successfully ousted India's education minister in July over ongoing exam paper leaks.
asserted
Party → lead → leaks
But the pressure on journalists extends well beyond the recent demonstrations.
asserted
pressure → extend → demonstrations
India's shifting media landscape
Some journalists say the government has steadily tightened its grip on the media since BJP came to power in 2014.
asserted
BJP → shift → 2014
"The media in India has never been entirely free, it's always come under extraordinary strain from government," said Sreenivasan Jain, an author and journalist who has reported in India for more than 30 years.
asserted
who → come → years
"But what I've witnessed in the past decade or so is a complete collapse.
asserted
witnessed → witness → decade
Entire swaths of, particularly TV media, have been brought to heel, have turned into propagandists for the government."
asserted
swaths → bring → government
Pande compared India's prime-time broadcast news landscape to having "multiple Fox News" channels.
asserted
Pande → compare → channels
"Channel after channel that will have the same talking points praising the government, rarely ever questioning it, hammering at the opposition, going at people who protest, calling dissenters enemies of the country," she said.
asserted
she → have → country
She said anchors who repeated government talking points were often rewarded with coveted interviews with ministers or the prime minister.
asserted
who → say → ministers
The dominance of pro-government television news has given rise to the term "Godi media", which means lapdog media.
asserted
which → give → media
Corporate ownership and government advertising have added another layer of pressure.
asserted
ownership → add → pressure
Many television networks depend on government advertising revenue and are owned by corporations with business interests tied to government contracts.
asserted
networks → depend → contracts
Jain spent 30 years as a reporter and anchor at NDTV, once widely considered one of the last traditional television networks openly critical of Mr Modi.
asserted
Jain → spend → Modi
He left in 2022 after the network was taken over by the Adani Group, which is owned by billionaire Gautam Adani, who has a close relationship with Narendra Modi.
asserted
who → leave → Modi
"In a matter of weeks, it was pretty clear what kind of direction they wanted to take the network," he said.
asserted
he → want → network
Among the red flags, he said, was pressure to broadcast an interview Mr Adani had given to a rival network, despite objections from journalists.
asserted
Adani → say → journalists
"I didn't want, for a second, to be around [those] endorsing those sorts of editorial practices," he said.
asserted
he → want → practices
Younger generations criticise 'Godi' media
Pande said young Indians were increasingly rejecting the television news their parents had consumed for years.
asserted
parents → criticise → years
"You have a generation that is … revolted by the idea of what television news has [reported] over the last 12 years, which is not talking about issues that concern them [like] education, jobs [and] infrastructure," she said.
asserted
she → have → education
That disillusionment has created an opening for independent digital news platforms and creators publishing on social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram and X.
Among them is 35-year-old political satirist Ramit Verma, who was recently detained while covering the protests in Delhi.
asserted
who → create → Delhi
He wants more Indians to document events to help hold those in power accountable.
asserted
those → want → power
"Everyone is [a] journalist, especially in India right now, where the mainstream media is so sold out and so dangerous," Verma said.
asserted
Verma → sell → India
Modi's government cracks down
asserted
government → crack → ?
Jain believed the recent detentions of journalists were the response of "a wounded regime".
"They wanted to stamp out the protests using extraordinary force, and I think silencing or trying to intimidate the media in these new ways is part of that response," he said.
asserted
he → believe → response
The ABC has contacted Delhi police and the Modi government for comment.
asserted
ABC → contact → comment
According to the Indian Express newspaper, the Modi government has also ordered close to 195,000 take down orders on posts shared on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube between March and July.
uncertain
government → accord → March
Verma said he had lost count of how many of his own posts had been censored.
asserted
many → say → posts
"It happens so much that I don't even remember the last post that got taken down," he said.
"
asserted
he → happen → post
But it's become the norm in India right now.
asserted
it → become → India
It's become a norm for your post to get taken down at any point.
asserted
post → become → point
"
The restrictions have also extended to foreign media organisations trying to report on the government.
asserted
restrictions → extend → government
Major international broadcasters, including the BBC and Al Jazeera, have faced requirements to establish Indian entities and employ local staff to continue operating in the country.
asserted
broadcasters → include → country
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
