Update (November 1): It seems* like The Wire's problems continue to pile up after the Delhi Police raided homes of its editors while investigating a complaint filed by the BJP's Amit Malviya, NDTV reported. The police searched homes of Siddharth Varadarajan, MK Venu, and Sidharth Bhatia — founding editors of The Wire — and seized their phones and laptops. Moreover, the homes of Janhavi Sen and the organisation's product-cum-business head Mithun Kidambi were also raided by the police. https://twitter.com/nramind/status/1587087083465629696 Why is it problematic: There are concerns that the Delhi Police is working in a high-handed fashion in order to intimidate The Wire because it has been severely critical of the ruling government. CPI (M)'s Sitaram Yechury suggested that the raids were a result of "vindictiveness" and explained that the raids demonstrated why India lagged at the bottom of World Press Freedom Index. DIGIPUB issued a statement asserting that a journalist or a media organisation that publishes a false report ought to be held accountable by its peers and civil society but for the police to carry out an immediate and arbitrary search of the media house's office and its editors' homes, "smacks of malafide intentions". They condemned the police searches against the editors and and said that it serves the purpose of "criminalising and creatina a chilling effect against the profession of journalism in India". https://twitter.com/apar1984/status/1587077527956119552 The Wire's response: The organisation said that all five individuals cooperated with the police and handed over their devices. They added that The Wire’s office at Bhagat Singh Market in Delhi was searched…
