Delhi Police cannot dictate how journalists cover protest

Since the Delhi Police are now in the business of giving professional advice to journalists, I want to share a few suggestions with them.

Rule number one: When you are dealing with protesters, try not to hit them.

Rule number two: When a woman reporter identifies herself as a journalist, don’t grab her.

Rule number three: Don’t tell journalists how far away they should stand.

And rule number four: When women journalists report that your officers assaulted or sexually harassed them, investigate those complaints before posting Instagram graphics lecturing the media on ethics.

Because that is precisely what the Delhi Police just did.

They put out a little guide on how to report. 

See this? It is really an extraordinary document.

The police are not neutral bystanders at a protest. They are armed, powerful actors in the frame. They arrest people. They fire tear gas. They deploy water cannons. They set up barricades, control access, and enforce state power.

So when the police start dictating where journalists can stand, how close we can get, and what counts as a valid badge, this isn't about professional etiquette.

It is about deciding who gets to watch the state when it uses force.

And the subtext that many missed in these guidelines?

This time, the state is trying to clamp down on digital media, YouTubers and influencers.

Let me explain.

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Produced by Megha Mukundan, script by Pooja Prasanna, edit by Nikhil Sekhar ET, camera by Akshay Lal