The Press Club of India on Saturday sharply condemned the detention of two journalists who were covering a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, calling the police action a serious affront to press freedom at the heart of the national capital.
In a statement issued in New Delhi on September 26, 2026, the club said Frontline journalist Vedaant Lakhera and The Wire's Mohammad Irfan were detained by Delhi Police while reporting on the protest on Friday. According to the Press Club, both reporters were clearly identifiable as journalists and were wearing their press IDs at the time.
The statement described the treatment of Lakhera as especially troubling. "Ironically, Mr. Lakhera was detained while asking Delhi Police personnel why they were not wearing name tags. While Mr. Lakhera was dragged to the Parliament Street police station and told to delete a picture, which he did not do, before he was let go," the Press Club said. It added that Irfan was taken to a police station in Dwarka and held for several hours along with protesters before being released.
The club also said that at Jantar Mantar, a policeman snatched Irfan's microphone, which bore The Wire's logo, and threw it aside. "It could not be found after that," the statement said, underscoring the physical and symbolic nature of the interference with reporting.
Press Club president Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty and secretary-general Afzal Imam said the incident was especially alarming because of where it occurred and who was involved. "That the Delhi Police, controlled directly by the Union Home Ministry, would behave in this manner against journalists at the centre of the national capital is a matter of grave concern," they said.
The detention of the two reporters has drawn attention not only because it involved working journalists at a public protest, but also because it took place in a highly sensitive political setting. Jantar Mantar has long been a focal point for demonstrations in the capital, and the protest in question was directed against the Chief Election Commissioner, a constitutional authority whose role is central to the conduct and credibility of elections. The Press Club's statement did not elaborate on the substance of the protest, but its focus was squarely on the treatment of the media personnel covering it.
The episode has renewed debate over the space available for journalists to report on protests and public dissent without interference from law enforcement. The Press Club's language suggested that the issue goes beyond a single confrontation, framing it as part of a broader pattern of pressure on reporters working in politically charged environments.
In a separate statement, the Press Club also criticised the West Bengal Police for filing an FIR against Maktoob Media over its reporting on alleged exclusion of Muslim IAS and IPS officers from meetings during Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visits to the state. The club said there had been no official denial of the report, yet police had proceeded with the case.
"There has been no official denial; yet the police have gone ahead with filing an FIR on the matter. Maktoob says it was not told about the FIR and only learned about it after a communication from X. Police have sought account creation, login and Android device details for @MaktoobMedia from X. The FIR is filed against 'UnknownPerson1', but the contents refer to Maktoob's social media posts," the statement said.
Calling the case "an attack on press freedom," the Press Club said it was "part of the pattern to attempt to stop any independent journalism in the country."
Together, the two statements reflect mounting concern among media organisations over the treatment of journalists covering politically sensitive issues and the use of police powers in ways critics say can chill reporting. The incidents in Delhi and West Bengal, though separate, have been linked by the Press Club to a wider climate of intimidation that it says threatens the independence of the press and the public's right to know.