Press Club of India condemns FIR against Abhisar Sharma

The Press Club of India has condemned the FIR lodged against senior journalist Abhisar Sharma, calling it a blatant attack on press freedom and demanding its immediate withdrawal.

In a statement issued on August 22, 2025, the club said the case accuses Sharma of making remarks with “mala fide intent to disrepute elected governments,” provoking communal sentiments, and threatening national integrity. The FIR invokes the sedition provision under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Sections 196 and 197 relating to promoting enmity and imputations against national integration.

The statement, signed by PCI president Gautam Lahiri and secretary-general Neeraj Thakur, noted that the Assam Police’s action comes even after the Supreme Court recently granted interim protection from arrest to The Wire editors Siddharth Varadarajan and Karan Thapar in a similar case under Section 152. “It is strange that Assam police has turned a blind eye in not taking cognizance of what the apex court has directed in a similar case… This action smacks of intolerance and scant respect to press freedom,” the club said.

The Press Club also flagged another incident this month involving senior journalist and Editors Guild of India secretary Ruben Banerjee, whose Odia-language YouTube channel Mu Ruben Kahuchhi was taken down without prior notice. The platform cited a “circumvention policy” violation, but rejected all appeals from Banerjee and his lawyers without explanation.

Calling both cases “clear instances of intolerance and an attack on the freedom of speech and expression,” the club urged media organisations to unite in protest and continue the struggle to safeguard press freedom in India.