Two journalists from Madhya Pradesh  Anand Pandey (Editor-in-Chief, The Sootr) and Harish Divekar (Managing Editor) — were detained by the Rajasthan Police on Friday.
The police allege that the journalists ran false and defamatory stories against Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari, and demanded ₹5 crore to remove them.

However, the Bhopal-based news portal The Sootr has strongly condemned the action, calling it “shocking, unlawful, and nothing short of an attempt to intimidate and silence independent journalism.”

The police also claimed the duo planned a campaign called ‘Destroy Diya’, while the portal insists the arrest is part of a larger pattern of threats and pressure against independent voices in the media.

Where does press freedom stand when journalists are detained across states for their reporting?
Is this justice  or an attempt to silence the press?