The RCG stands in full solidarity with the independent leftwing NewsClick media group in India following the 9 February raid by the Enforcement Directorate of India (ED). The ED claimed that NewsClick is potentially in receipt of funds from foreign sources that are at odds with India’s national interests. The raid lasted for more than a week and included processes like data recovery to check for deleted ‘incriminating materials’, and seizure of equipment and systems essential for the working of the news organisation.
This needs to be seen in the context of the current media landscape in India where almost all of the mainstream media institutions, including the so-called liberal ones, are following the government’s line on critical issues happening in India, in regards to state repression, anti-Muslim violence, xenophobic citizenship laws, and farm laws etc. While mainstream media has become just another mouthpiece for government, independent and digital media has been committed to authentic journalistic practices, publishing pieces pushing back against government narratives. These independent media outlets have been critical in spreading information on what is happening in India to global audiences as government repression has intensified to even the non-threatening section of civil society.
The attack on NewsClick is part of the Modi government’s attempt to repress independent media, after its completion of the takeover of the mainstream media landscape. It is especially evident in the context where NewsClick has been proactive in reporting on farmers’ protest from the ground – reporting which has been critical in creating international appreciation for the movement. Seeing the power of independent media, the Modi government had no choice but to take them on too, by conflating fascistic apparatus with national interests. By characterising international financial support for dissent as a financial crime, the Modi government is openly declaring war on independent progressive media. This could be just the start, and many other important independent media institutions could also be under serious threat.
At this time of brazen repression on all attempts at both activism and free information in India, it is important for the international left to raise its solidarity levels with the victims and resistors of India’s fascistic ascendancy. Through political, financial, and cultural efforts, it is the duty of communists to promote and proliferate the anti-fascist movement and opposition in India. The RCG stands in solidarity with NewsClick, independent progressive media, and the rising people’s movement in India!
