Nagaland Journalist Shot In Manipur: What Does It Mean For India’s Press Freedom?

A dramatic turn of events occurred on Saturday evening when a journalist based in Nagaland was shot when he was reporting at Manipur’s Senapati district Laii village during the Zinnia Flower Festival (also referred to as the Cherry Blossom Festival). The victim, Dip Saikia, a reporter from a Nagaland TV channel, was hit by bullets when unknown armed miscreants fired at him around 4 pm. He was hit in the right leg and below the armpit before he was immediately taken to the Senapati District Hospital and then transferred to Nagaland for further treatment. Physicians have assured that Saikia is no longer in danger.

A top official said that the suspect has been identified and a team has been sent to arrest the suspect. The motive behind the shooting remains unknown. The channel of the reporter condemned the attack and called it as a “direct attack on media freedom and democratic values,”. It indicates the dangers being undertaken by media experts even at cultural affairs.

Concerning Press Freedom in India

This attack is at a time when India’s press freedom score still continues to draw global criticism.In the World Press Freedom Index 2025 released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), India ranks at 151 out of 180 with a score of 32.96. India moved up eight spots from its previous year’s rank of 159, however, the report states continuing threats, intimidation, and systemic problems that affect journalists across the nation.

Chhattisgarh journalist’s death

Earlier this year, another chilling case brought the danger to which India’s reporters are exposed. In January 2025, freelance reporter Mukesh Chandrakar was brutally killed in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district while investigating irregularities in road construction work. The contractor for the project and his brothers as well as supervisor supposedly hatched the murder. The body was, however, thrown into a septic tank and covered with a new layer of concrete to hide the crime. The accused were later charged by investigators in a 1,200-page chargesheet under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including criminal conspiracy and murder.

The recurring attacks on the press from cultural festivals to war zones have mounted calls for more robust protection mechanisms, with media watchdogs warning that untrammeled violence against the media undermines both press freedom and Indian democracy.

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