The Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ) and the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) Delhi Unit have condemned the searches conducted by the Gujarat police at journalist Ravi Nair’s residences in Delhi and Kerala on Monday (August 17, 2026).

Following a first information report (FIR) related to a Washington Post report co-authored by Mr. Nair, the State police seized two phones and pen drives from his home in Kerala. “In Delhi, they also seized the laptop of Mr. Nair’s son and the laptop and iPad of his colleague, neither of whom are accused in the case. The police did not provide hash values of the devices, raising concerns about possible tampering,” said a joint statement.

The organisations alleged that Mr. Nair had been singled out in the case, “that too, apparently for tweeting the story he wrote for Washington Post”. “Neither Washington Post nor the co-authors faced any prosecution,” it said.

The DUJ and the KUWJ (Delhi Unit) demanded the immediate return of the devices belonging to Mr. Nair’s son and his colleague, describing such actions as “a direct assault on media freedom and press independence”.

Published - August 21, 2026 10:41 pm IST