NDTV-CBI Raid: Journalists stand in support of Prannoy Roy and NDTV

The usually calm Raisina Road was buzzing with activity on Friday evening. Journalists from across media houses came together at Press Club of India (PCI) to protest the raids carried out by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at the residence of NDTV Co-Founder Prannoy Roy.

In a rare appearance since the raids, a combative Roy vowed to fight the “false charges” against him. Along with Roy, journalists Nihal Singh and Kuldip Nayar, eminent jurist and President of Bar Association of India Fali Nariman, former Union Minister and journalist Arun Shourie and President of Indian Women’s Press Corps Shobhna Jain spoke to a packed house on the need for journalists to unite against any attempt to muzzle the media.

The anger and aggression was palpable, though, this isn’t the first time journalists have united to signal a show of strength to the current government.

Since the National Democratic Alliance assumed power, NDTV and its promoters have been at the receiving end of government censure at various points. Whether it is party spokespersons who have accused NDTV of an “agenda” on air in taunting tones or the Information and Broadcasting Ministry’s notice to impose a day-long ban on NDTV India. Several familiar faces from NDTV Group such as Ravish Kumar, Nidhi Razdan and Maya Mirchandani were present at the venue and suggested that the raids didn’t come as a surprise to them.

But it wasn’t just about NDTV. Panellists present at the venue came out aggressively against the government. Nariman told the gathering that the CBI raids on NDTV should “worry us all” and went on to read the verbal exchange between Razdan and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra on the show Left, Right and Centre. He added that our Constitution guaranteed freedom of speech when the crowd broke into applause. “But it does not guarantee freedom after speech. Freedom after speech — that is really what freedom of speech is all about. Never forget this,” he added.

However, he did say that if anyone was indeed culpable, there is no immunity from prosecution. “No one is immune from being prosecuted for a criminal offence – not any of you, not I, not Prannoy Roy, not NDTV.”

Shourie’s speech was packed with punches. He began his address by thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing “so many friends together”. His message was clear: To “counter lies” and fight for freedom of the press. “News is what the government wants to hide. You should excavate that,” he said as the audience broke into applause.

Many journalists present at the venue likened the current situation to the Emergency and said the media fraternity needed to fight it in solidarity. Speaking to Newslaundry, Ravish Kumar reiterated this.

Siddharth Varadarajan, founding editor of The Wire, said the CBI raid was a signal from the government to “intimidate” all independent media that refuses to toe the line and poses questions to the government. Varadarajan said the extent of truth in the charges is yet to be examined, but the manner in which the CBI was “unleashed” was not “due process”.

Jitender Kumar, journalist and columnist, also said the raids coming three days after the on-air verbal altercation between Razdan and Patra raised questions on the timing.

Roy spoke towards the end of the event and began by saying, “I really hate doing this.” He stated that neither him nor his wife ever “touched one rupee of black money” or bribed anyone in their lives. Roy asserted the government was trying to give a message: “We [the government] can suppress you even if you haven’t done anything.”

Whether or not NDTV’s promoters are culpable is something the CBI will now investigate, but what was ostensibly certain on Friday was that any attempts to muzzle the media will only bring “friends in the media” closer, as Shourie pointed out.

The author can be contacted on Twitter @shrutimenon10.