Guwahati Police summon journalists Siddharth Varadarajan, Karan Thapar in sedition case

Guwahati, August 19: The Guwahati Police has summoned senior journalists Siddharth Varadarajan and Karan Thapar in connection with a case registered on sedition charges, according to the notices.

The two journalists have been asked to appear before the Crime Branch of Guwahati Police on August 22.

The identical summonses, a copy of which is with PTI, said, "It is revealed that there are reasonable grounds to question you to ascertain the facts and circumstances from you, in relation to the present investigation."

The police have not shared any information about the case. Repeated calls made to senior police officials to know about the case remained unanswered.

While Varadarajan's summons was received on August 14, Thapar got it on Monday. "Failure to attend/comply with the terms of this notice can render you liable for arrest," the summonsed added.

The summonses were issued by Crime Branch Inspector Soumarjyoti Ray, and he referred to an FIR (No.: 03/2025) registered at the Crime Branch under sections 152, 196, 197(1)(D)/3(6), 353, 45 and 61 of the BNS.

Section 152 of BNS addresses acts endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India. It effectively replaced Section 124A of the IPC, which was put on hold by the Supreme Court in May 2022.

Expressing concern, the Press Club of India (PCI) and the Indian Women’s Press Corps, meanwhile, have criticised the Assam Police Crime Branch for filing an FIR against senior journalists.

The two organisations noted that this is the second such case against the news portal in as many months, and accused the police of targeting the journalists in a vindictive manner through its Guwahati Crime Branch.

PTI