The Press Club of India on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) expressed shock and concern over the Gujarat police searches against independent journalist Ravi Nair, urging the authorities not to “undermine the very principles independent India was built on”.
Nair, acting on a search warrant issued by a magistrate court. “The fact that the police seized five devices — including some belonging to Nair’s son and his colleague Sachi Hegde who happened to be at his residence — without providing a hash value for a single one, is extremely disturbing. “This clampdown on information, while at the same time journalists doing their job are having to pay a heavy price, paints a sorry picture of press freedom in India.
The Gujarat police on Monday (August 17) seized devices belonging to Mr.
Without a hash value, it is impossible to know whether a device has been tampered with after seizure,” it said. The Press Club of India urges the police and government agencies to stop behaving in ways that undermine the very principles independent India was built on,” said the press body.
