Rajasthan Patrika on Thursday celebrated National Press Day with a protest – a blank edit column that headlined attempts to gag the media in the state governed by Vasundhara Raje of the BJP.

The text atop the blank column read: “Today is National Press Day, that is a day of free and responsible journalism. But this is in danger because of Rajasthan government’s black law (ordinance proposing curbs on media reporting). By leaving the edit column blank, we vehemently oppose the black law, the killer of democracy.”

The state recently presented an ordinance which granted immunity to public servants and magistrates from investigation for work done in official capacity. The Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Ordinance, 2017, promulgated on September 7, also sought to bar the media from reporting on accusations till the sanction to proceed with the probe was obtained. The measure, which prescribed jail of up to two years for violations, has currently been deferred till next year.

The ordinance read “no one can publish or print or publicise in any manner the name, address, photograph, family details or any other particulars which may lead to disclosure of identity of a judge or magistrate or a public servant against whom any proceeding is pending” until a 180-day period.

The popular Rajasthan Patrika, which is critical of the Raje government, has over the last year also seen a sharp decline in government advertisements.