By Scroll Staff
India reported 14,875 instances of free speech violations in 2025, including the killing of eight journalists and one social media influencer, said a report released on Tuesday by the Free Speech Collective.
The organisation that monitors violations of free speech in India, recorded instances of censorship, court gag orders, restrictions affecting academic autonomy, film censorship, regulatory policies and corporate interventions to regulate free speech during this year.
Hundred and seventeen arrests linked to free speech violations were reported during the year, including the arrests of eight journalists, the report said.
The Free Speech Collective also said that 33 of the 40 attacks related to free speech targeted journalists. Of the 19 instances of harassment, 14 involved journalists. Twelve cases of journalists receiving threats in the course of their work were also recorded, the report added.
Eight journalists were killed during the year: two in Uttar Pradesh and one each in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Karnataka, Odisha and Uttarakhand. A social media influencer was killed in Punjab.
The report added that two journalists, Irfan Mehraj from Kashmir and Rupesh Kumar from Jharkhand, remained in custody this year under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.
Mehraj has been jailed since March 2023 and Kumar since July 2022.
Gujarat recorded the highest number of free speech violations at 108, followed by Uttar Pradesh at 83 and Kerala at 78.
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