The arrest of Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad over a carefully worded Facebook post is not about national security – it is about silencing Muslim intellect. thewire.in/communalism/who-g…

I want folks to reflect on the logic which the government is following on the flow of information. 1. Indian news channels ran programming for hours last night reporting that the Indian Navy had been deployed and had bombed and destroyed Karachi Port. 2. Indian news channels ran stories that the Indian army had entered Pakistan. 3. Indian news channels ran stories that India has captured Islamabad. 4. Indian channels ran stories about suicide terror strikes in Rajouri All of this 'reporting' by major new channels was not just fake news but also inflammatory and provocative and clearly intended to ensure the very escalation (from the Pakistani side) that the Indian government has cautioned against from the outset. Earlier, channels described an Indian Muslim victim of Pakistani shelling in Poonch as a Lashkar-e-Tayyaba terrorist. Instead of firmly clearing the air with respect to this kind of dangerous reporting, the government issued instructions to Internet Service Providers across India to block access to The Wire — one of the largest Indian news platforms that has been reporting on the emerging situation with responsibility and restraint. The blocking order is unconstitutional. It is an attack on press freedom and on the right of every Indian to access information. It must be lifted immediately.