Speakers: Professor James Manor, former Director of the ICWS Salil Tripathi, Journalist and Chair, Writers in Prison, PEN International Nupur Basu, Journalist Chair: Mrs Rita Payne, Emetitus Chair, Commonwealth Journalists Association In the past five years, there have been over 200 attacks on journalists and bloggers across India, with the greatest number of cases in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Three leading commentators on modern-day India will discuss the sources and impact of multiple pressures from state and non-state actors on India’s once vibrant media. In the view of the Editors Guild of India, members of the BJP government and its extremist Hindu allies have “declared war”. The panelists will discuss the implications of targeting print, broadcast and online outlets for the country’s forthcoming elections in spring 2019.