Punjab: Media in the crosshairs

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab has unleashed an aggressive campaign against the media that once amplified its rise. The crackdown — spanning state-run newspapers to YouTubers — began on 1 November 2025, when BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleged that a sheeshmahal (glass palace) had been built in Chandigarh for AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal.

The controversy of ‘Sheeshmahal 2.0’ centred on bungalow number 50, allotted to Mann as camp office and guest house. It is widely claimed that Kejriwal is a permanent resident here. Most newspapers splashed this on their front pages, alongside the party’s denial.

The state government took umbrage to the coverage. On 2 November, newspaper delivery trucks were stopped and searched under the pretext of looking for drugs and weapons. Nothing illegal was found. But by the time the vehicles were released, it was too late, and large sections of Punjab did not receive their newspapers (which ironically also carried chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s statement accusing the Opposition of misleading the public about his camp office).

Soon after, government ads to newspapers were abruptly stopped. While some reached an ‘understanding’ with the government, those that continued to face the freeze included the Punjab Kesari Group, one of the oldest and most influential in the state.

With the new year came a fresh resolve to tighten the screws. On 1 January, RTI activist Manik Goyal and nine social media content creators and influencers were handed a New Year ‘gift’ — an FIR registered against them by the Punjab Police.

You see, in early December, when Mann was on a 10-day tour of Japan and South Korea, Goyal had used Flightradar24 to track the movements of the CM’s helicopter. Though Mann was away, his helicopter was flying — including to Amritsar. Goyal shared this information on social media. The data quickly acquired newsiness through Punjabi YouTube channels and social media influencers. Soon, everyone was talking about it.

Goyal and others were booked under Sections 353(1) and (2) of the Indian Penal Code for spreading rumours and false information, as well as under Section 61(2) for criminal conspiracy. When journalists were summoned to Bathinda police station, the story was picked up by mainstream media.

Goyal and three journalists subsequently approached the high court. On 12 January, the court observed that the government cannot initiate criminal proceedings merely because questions have been raised. The high court stayed the case.

Even as this stay order was being issues, the Punjab government had launched another offensive. Between 11 and 15 January, raids were carried out on establishments linked to the Punjab Kesari group, among them, the Park Plaza hotel in Jalandhar.

First came the excise and taxation department, then the food and civil supplies department and finally, the GST department. Simultaneously, processes were initiated to cancel various licences.

Intriguingly, while the Punjab Kesari Group owns the hotel, it is run by the Sarovar Group, which manages over 150 hotels across India. The responsibility for matters cited during the raids thus lies with the latter.

The newspaper was next. Heavy police deployment appeared outside Punjab Kesari offices in Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Bathinda. The labour department raided its printing presses in all three cities. A pollution control board inspection followed in Jalandhar and Ludhiana, even though newspaper printing is not classified as a polluting industry. Electricity connections at both locations were cut.

“Deliberate pressure,” said Vijay Kumar Chopra, the 93-year-old CEO and editor-in-chief of Punjab Kesari. While the Supreme Court has since directed that Punjab Kesari resume printing, Navneet Singh Wadhwa of the Nava Punjab YouTube channel has no illusions: “What is happening to Punjab Kesari today will happen to us tomorrow — and to you the day after.”