The murder of the freelance journalist, Mukesh Chandrakar, in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh is another stark reminder that journalism has become a dangerous profession in India. Silencing journalists or threatening them simultaneously violates the constitutional right to the freedom of speech and the democratic principle of press freedom. These are assaults on the fourth pillar of democracy, an indication that the country might be losing its democratic character. India is doing badly on the press freedom index, rising two places from 161 in 2023 to 159 in 2024 among 180 countries. That is worse than Pakistan and Palestine. Journalists are targeted by the State, by non-State political actors and anti-social elements as well as criminals. Almost every murder or harassment is related to one or more reports of the journalist in question, particularly if they are investigative accounts or exposes. In 2023, for example, five journalists were killed and 226 subjected to various pressures. Of these 148 were targeted by the State. They were arrested or detained, some summoned for questioning, some had first information reports registered against them, while others were asked to reveal their sources, or had their passports taken away or houses raided. A number of them were physically attacked or threatened by the police or public officials.

Clearly, the constitutional right to freedom of speech is no longer a shield for journalists. They deserve a bill of rights. This will be more effective as a shield, especially if events lead to the courts’ support for it, and it could be a useful counter to the recent laws that may be used to constrain the media to project reports and messages favoured by the government. In an environment hostile to journalists in general, those representing small-budget media organisations and those who do freelance work, such as Chandrakar did, are the most vulnerable. A bill of rights would be most helpful for them since they have little or no protection. The repeated attacks on and murders of journalists inevitably have a chilling effect on everyone in the profession, which is no doubt the intended effect. Journalism is a profession of courage; in the present scene, of extraordinary courage. It may be ironic, but it is up to the government to see that journalists are protected and press freedom is restored in India.