Controversial Sedition Case Against Journalists Sparks Outrage

The CPI(ML) Liberation condemns a case against journalists Karan Thapar and Siddartha Varadarajan in Assam, criticizing it as a BJP strategy to intimidate the media. The crime branch issued the summons coinciding with the Supreme Court's disregard for a related petition against 'The Wire'. The party demands the case's withdrawal.

The CPI(ML) Liberation has vehemently condemned the filing of a case in Assam against senior journalists Karan Thapar and Siddartha Varadarajan. They label the action a calculated move by the BJP, which governs the northeastern state, to exert pressure on the media landscape.

The party's statement demanded an immediate withdrawal of the case, highlighting that the Guwahati crime branch issued the summons the same day the Supreme Court dismissed a petition against 'The Wire', with whom the journalists are associated.

Critics claim the summons, dated August 12, appears to challenge the judiciary's decision. Under BJP rule, Assam is accused of becoming an arena for displacing minorities and facilitating corporate land acquisitions. The CPI(ML) Liberation urges scrapping Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyay Samhita, which they condemn as a vicious iteration of colonial sedition law.

(With inputs from agencies.)