Congress Slams Assam Police Summons to Senior Journalists, Calls It Attack on Free Speech
The SC had earlier granted anticipatory bail to Varadarajan, ruling that "journalists must inform people of possible challenges during times of crisis."
Published : August 21, 2025 at 2:15 PM IST
Guwahati: Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi on Wednesday slammed the Assam Police's decision to file a case against two eminent journalists, Karan Thapar and Siddharth Varadarajan, terming it an assault on freedom of expression.
The case has reportedly been registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNSS), though Gogoi pointed out that the FIR lacks details of the allegations. Taking to social media, Gogoi wrote, "Guwahati Police has issued summons to The Wire's editor Siddharth Varadarajan and senior journalist Karan Thapar under BNSS, without providing the date, copy of the FIR, or any description of the charges."
Another day , another reason when Assam is in the news for all the wrong reasons. Greed, corruption, incompetency, lawlessness. This is not the Assam way. The people of Assam want a leadership that will build an Assam of their dreams. A bor Assam that will built on the foundation… https://t.co/dsyEmAlI0B
— Gaurav Gogoi (@GauravGogoiAsm) August 20, 2025
Both Thapar and Varadarajan are award-winning journalists who have received the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Award for their contributions to independent journalism. Earlier, on August 12, the Supreme Court had granted anticipatory bail to Varadarajan, ruling that "journalists have the duty to inform people of possible challenges during times of crisis."
Expressing surprise, Gogoi questioned the fresh summons, stating, "The astonishing part is that the Guwahati Crime Branch issued this summons after the High Court had already granted protection to The Wire journalists. This is a misuse of legal provisions and completely unlawful."
The Deputy Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha further alleged that the move amounted to deliberate misuse of the law. "At a time when criminals roam free in Assam, why has the police, instead of catching them, chosen to target journalists for publishing reports? Under whose instructions is this happening?” he asked.
Gogoi also underlined that, as per procedure, a copy of the FIR should be provided before any interrogation. Denouncing the summons as a violation of democratic rights, he appealed to the Assam Police to respect the independence of the press.
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