The International Press Institute (IPI) today condemned the recent arrests of two journalists in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, calling for their immediate release and an end to the media crackdown in the conflict-ridden central Indian state.

On March 26, Deepak Jaiswal, a journalist for the Hindi-language daily newspaper Dainik Dainadi was arrested by police in connection with a case filed against him and Prabhat Singh, a reporter for the Hindi paper Patrika in August 2015 by a school principal in Geedam, in the Dantewada district of Bastar. According to reports, the case stems from a report Jaiswal and Singh published in March 2015 alleging that teachers at a Dentewada school helped students cheat in their examinations. The two journalists are accused of trespassing, obstructing public servants from discharging their duty and assaulting a public servant.

Separately, Singh had been arrested on March 22 under Section 67 of India’s Information Technology Act for posts he made mocking a senior police officer in a social media group on the mobile messaging app WhatsApp. Singh, who was reportedly beaten and deprived of food in custody, also faces charges from several cases police have filed against him in recent months, accusing him of forgery and cheating.

Both journalists have been denied bail.

Singh and Jaiswal were the third and fourth Bastar-based journalists to be arrested in the past year because of their work. Two other journalists, Santosh Yadav and Somaru Nag, were arrested in July and September 2015, respectively, for allegedly sympathising with Maoist groups designated as terrorist organisations by the Indian government.

In February 2016, journalists Alok Prakash Putul, a BBC Hindi service reporter, and freelancer Malini Subramaniam fled Bastar out of fear for their safety, citing police intimidation.

“The grave dangers faced by journalists working in the most difficult of the Maoist insurgency areas of Chhattisgarh from both the Maoists and the security forces have been recorded in detail by a fact-finding team of the Editors Guild of India,” N. Ravi, chair of IPI’s Indian National Committee and a member IPI’s executive board, said.

“The team had also received assurances from the Chief Minister and the state administration affirming their commitment to the unfettered and safe functioning of journalists. The IPI Indian National Committee urges the state administration to honour these commitments on the ground and also free the arrested journalists forthwith.”

IPI Director of Press Freedom Programmes Scott Griffen echoed Ravi’s comments.

“IPI calls for the immediate release of Deepak Jaiswal and Prabhat Singh, as well as Santosh Yadav and Somaru Nag,” he said. “Local authorities must cease arresting and imprisoning journalists because of their work and must ensure a safer working environment for journalists in the state of Chhattisgarh.”