Assam Police FIR names ‘The Wire’ journalists, late Satya Pal Malik and Pakistani commentator Najam Sethi

A high-profile First Information Report (FIR) lodged by the Assam Police has roped in senior journalists from The Wire, the late former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik, and Pakistani commentator Najam Sethi, sparking a legal and political storm over allegations of undermining India’s sovereignty.

The FIR, filed in May at the Guwahati Crime Branch on the complaint of a local resident, Biju Verma, invokes stringent provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 152 — which deals with acts “endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India” — along with charges of promoting enmity, spreading misinformation, and criminal conspiracy.

Those named in the case include The Wire’s founding editor Siddharth Varadarajan, senior journalist Karan Thapar, editor of The Wire Hindi Ashutosh Bhardwaj, the late Governor Malik, and Pakistani analyst Sethi.

On August 12, Varadarajan and Thapar were served summons to appear before the police in Guwahati. However, the Supreme Court on Friday directed that no coercive action be taken against them. The protection came even as Varadarajan faced a separate FIR under the same BNS provision in Assam’s Morigaon district, for which he had already secured interim relief.

The complaint accuses The Wire of publishing articles and commentary following the April Pahalgam terror attack that “prima facie undermine India’s sovereignty and security, promote enmity, and spread misinformation.” It also specifically cites Thapar’s interview series, alleging that it provided a “platform” to “assign blame to the Indian State for acts of terrorism perpetrated by cross-border elements.”

Calling it a “deeply disturbing trend,” the complainant flagged Malik’s remarks, Sethi’s participation as a Pakistani journalist, and Bhardwaj’s editorial work, claiming they projected India’s democracy as “oppressive” while lending “intellectual validation” to narratives hostile to the Indian state.

The FIR further cites reporting on Kashmir, security operations, and Operation Sindoor, alleging that The Wire’s coverage “erodes the credibility of India’s armed forces, questions the legitimacy of sovereign responses, and equates counterterror operations with communal or electoral motives.”

This comes amid a spate of FIRs targeting journalists in Assam. On August 21, a separate case under Section 152 was registered against Delhi-based journalist Abhisar Sharma for a YouTube video questioning a Gauhati High Court order related to land allotment in the tribal district of Dima Hasao.

With the Supreme Court now intervening, the case has ignited a wider debate over press freedom, state accountability, and the boundaries of journalistic critique in matters of national security.