In January, French journalist Vanessa Dougnecht was forced to leave India after two decades under similar accusations that the Hindu nationalist government made reporting ‘very difficult’.
The World Press Freedom Index ranked India 161 out of 180 countries in its 2023 report.
Dawn Political Reporter
New Delhi: After the oppression of Indian minorities, the Modi government will go after journalists, Australian journalists including foreign journalists had to ‘forcibly leave India’.
An Australian journalist was deported for ‘crossing his line’ after criticizing the Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi government, raising concerns about press freedom in the country.
Avani Dias, the South Asia bureau chief of Australia’s national broadcaster ABC News, claimed that the Hindu nationalist government had made it “very difficult” for him to report from India, including the national elections that began last week. Coverage is also included.
In one of his posts on X, Dias wrote: ‘Last week, I suddenly had to leave India. Modi government told me that my visa will not be extended. After the intervention of the Australian government, my visa was extended for a mere two months just 24 hours before the flight.
He further wrote: ‘We were also told that I would not be allowed to cover the election process as directed by the Indian Ministry. We had to leave the country on the first day of the national elections, which Modi calls the ‘mother of democracy’.
In the latest episode of her ‘Looking for Modi’ podcast, Dias, who has been working in India since January 2022, said that an official from India’s Ministry of External Affairs called her and told her that her visa should not be renewed. and they will have to leave the country in a couple of weeks.’
He was told that the decision was taken because of the coverage of the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nagar, who was killed in Canada last year.
According to him: “The official told me specifically that this was done because of my Sikh separatist news and that it had gone too far.”
Najar’s killing has further strained relations between India and Canada after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government had credible evidence of the involvement of Indian operatives in the June 18 murder.
According to the 2023 report of the ‘Committee to Protect Journalists’, an international organization of the journalism sector, at least seven journalists are currently in jail in India. In January this year, French journalist Vanessa Dougnecht announced that she is leaving India after almost two decades.
He had also claimed that he was being prevented from working as a journalist in the country despite being a permanent resident of India, i.e. holding overseas citizenship because the government considered his reporting to be “malicious and critical”.
The World Press Freedom Index ranked India 161 out of 180 countries in its 2023 report.
