Guwahati Police Summons Journalists Siddharth Varadarajan, Karan Thapar In Sedition Case

Guwahati: The crime branch of Guwahati police has summoned two senior journalists Siddharth Varadarajan and Karan Thapar in connection with a case registered on sedition charges.

The notice, served to the two journalists, working with digital media platform The Wire, 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 notice which was served to two journalists also warned, “Failure to attend/comply with the terms of this notice can render you liable for arrest.” The journalists have been asked to appear before the crime branch on August 22 in Guwahati.

The senior police officers who were tight-lipped about the summon refused to divulge anything about the case. In fact, police refused to share any information about the case.

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.

Meanwhile the Editors Guild of India (EGI) issued a statement expressing concern over the summoning of senior journalists – Siddharth Varadarajan,Founding Editor of The Wire, and Karan Thapar, Consulting Editor of the same publication – by the Assam Police, following the registration of a FIR accusing them of endangering India's sovereignty.

In a statement, the EGI noted that it remains unclear whether the latest FIR is tied to the same article, which reportedly critiqued the government’s Operation Sindoor initiative. The FIR, filed at Morigaon Police Station, cites Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS),

which concerns actions allegedly endangering the sovereignty and integrity of the nation.

According to reports, both Varadarajan and Thapar have been called to appear before the Crime Branch office in Guwahati’s Panbazar on August 22. This comes just days after the Supreme Court granted Varadarajan and others protection from any ‘coercive action’ in connection with an earlier FIR linked to an article published by The Wire.

The EGI also strongly criticised the trend of invoking multiple criminal provisions against journalists across states.

In the statement issued, the EGI shared, “The Guild is extremely disturbed by this continuing trend of law enforcement agencies across states registering FIRs against journalists by invoking multiple provisions of the criminal code. This practice effectively muzzles independent journalism, as the very process of responding to notices, summons, and prolonged judicial proceedings becomes a form of punishment.

Several other organisations and journalists of Guwahati have also condemned the government for summoning two senior journalists of the country on sedition charges.