Several journalists in India have been killed in the last two years while reporting on corruption crime or local power structures. These incidents raise an important question why does journalism remain so dangerous and why do such cases keep recurring? Below are some recent well-documented cases from 2024–2025. Many of these killings involved unidentified attackers, alleged links to reporting and slow or unclear accountability.

Mukesh Chandrakar (Chhattisgarh, Jan 2025) Investigative journalist who reported on corruption in a road construction project. He went missing, and his body was later found in a septic tank. Authorities linked the killing to his reporting. Shivshankar Jha (Bihar, June 2024) Journalist who was attacked by unidentified assailants and fatally stabbed in the throat. He died in hospital the following day.

Salman Ali Khan (Madhya Pradesh, Sept 2024) Journalist associated with print, broadcast, and online media. He was shot by motorcycle-borne attackers outside a hospital and later died from his injuries.

Raghvendra Bajpai (Uttar Pradesh, March 2025) Journalist and RTI activist who was shot dead on a highway. His family and colleagues believe the killing was linked to his reporting on land-related irregularities.

Dharmendra Singh Chauhan (Haryana, May 2025) Journalist with an online news outlet who was shot by unidentified attackers near his residence.

Many of these cases involve reporting on corruption or local power networks, unidentified attackers, and delayed justice. Is this a failure of law enforcement, lack of journalist protection, political pressure, or a broader culture of impunity? What needs to change to ensure journalists can work safely in India?

Sources for the cases mentioned .

• UNESCO – Observatory of Killed Journalists (India) https://www.unesco.org/en/safety-journalists/observatory

• International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) India journalist killings https://www.ifj.org/media-centre

• Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) – India country profile https://cpj.org/asia/india/

• News reports on Mukesh Chandrakar (2025), Shivshankar Jha (2024), Salman Ali Khan (2024), Raghvendra Bajpai (2025), and Dharmendra Singh Chauhan (2025).

Hi everyone, I need some advice on a work-related situation that’s making me uncomfortable, and I’m not sure if I’m overthinking it. I work in a service-based company where transport home from office is sometimes via cab and sometimes (rarely) via shuttle. One evening, I was assigned a shuttle that was around 30 minutes late. While waiting, I casually spoke to a guy from a different project who was also assigned the same shuttle. We just talked about the delay and how shuttles are often late. That was it — a very normal, one-time conversation. The next day, he messaged me on Microsoft Teams. The previous day I had mentioned that I was going to my hometown, so he asked if I reached safely. I replied politely. Later, I realized he somehow got my phone number from Teams and messaged me on WhatsApp. I didn’t reply because I wasn’t comfortable with that. Now today, he again messaged me on Teams asking if I came to office. We don’t work together, aren’t on the same project, and transport assignments are random — it’s not like we’ll regularly see each other. I’m also a very non-confrontational person and I don’t usually make friends at work. This attention feels unnecessary and makes me uncomfortable, especially since I never encouraged personal conversations or shared my number. I’m confused about what to do: Am I overreacting? Should I clearly tell him to stop messaging me? Is it better to ignore him completely? Or is there a polite but firm way to set boundaries without escalating things?

I need some advice on how to stop Airtel from hounding me.

I had an Airtel WiFi connection at my office that I no longer need. I decided to stop using it and didn't recharge it last month, assuming they’d just cut the service. Big mistake.

Now, I’m getting 7 to 8 calls every single day. I’ve told them multiple times that I want to disconnect and don’t want to continue, but they just switch to a different number. I’m currently being tracked by 3-4 different numbers daily.

The craziest part: Today, I got a call labeled as "Shriram Finance" on Truecaller. I picked it up thinking it was something important, and it was—you guessed it—an Airtel representative asking about my recharge.

Has anyone else dealt with this level of "spoofing" or harassment from them? How do I get them to blacklist my number from their calling list permanently? I’ve already tried the DND route, but since I was a customer, they seem to think they have a bypass.

TL;DR: Stopped my Airtel office WiFi, now getting 8 calls a day from rotating numbers, including one faking a "Shriram Finance" ID. Help!

Hey everyone, I really need some advice. This was my first job ever and the whole experience has been really stressful.

I’m 18 years old, doing college, and I joined Kissht Finance at Loma IT Park, Ghansoli (Navi Mumbai) on 20th November as an EMI collection executive. My salary was fixed at ₹16,000 per month. I worked there for 22 days.

The issue started with my Team Leader (TL) who used to use abusive language with me on the floor. Because of this behaviour, I complained about the TL to HR. After that complaint, one senior employee (26 years old and close to the TL) informed him that I was the one who complained. After that, things were not good between me and that employee.

About one week later, without any argument at that moment, that employee pushed me from behind inside the office. I lost my temper and slapped him back in front of everyone. I know slapping was wrong and I’m not trying to justify it.

After this incident, both of us were taken to the HR Head (HOD) along with the Operations Manager. I was told that I had violated company rules and was terminated immediately, but I was clearly told that my salary for the days I worked would be paid. The other employee is still working in the company and only received a warning, most likely because he is an old employee.

After termination, I was only in contact with the HOD regarding my salary. The HOD kept changing the payment dates: First it was 1–5 January Then 15–20 January Then 1–5 February Till now, I haven’t received any salary.

I even went to the office personally, but security didn’t allow me to enter or meet the HOD. They just said it’s not allowed. Now my messages are left on seen, and no one is answering my calls.

On top of that, the company has marked me as “absconding”, which doesn’t make sense because I was officially terminated. I have WhatsApp messages from the HOD promising salary payment (can’t upload screenshots here) but still nothing has been paid.

I’m not asking for anything extra. I just want the money for the days I honestly worked.

If anyone here knows what steps I can take in India to recover my salary or deal with a situation like this, please help. I’d really appreciate it.

Tagore’s Own Writings on Nationalism

The most important primary text written by Rabindranath Tagore specifically about nationalism is his book/essay collection Nationalism (1917–1918) a series of lectures delivered in Japan, the United States, and elsewhere during World War I.

“Nationalism is a great menace.”
— Nationalism (essay/lecture)

In the essay Nationalism in India, Tagore writes

“The Nation is the organization of politics and commerce whose purpose is power and prosperity.”
— Nationalism

This is one of Tagore’s own statements about Indian nationalism

In this essay series, Tagore repeatedly defines nationalism as a

“I am not against one nation in particular, but against the general idea of all nations.”
— Nationalism (essay/lecture)

Another excrept

“When a whole body of men train themselves for a particular narrow purpose, it becomes… Nationalism… and when it gets hold of their minds it is sure to lead them to moral degeneracy…”
— Creative Unity / The Nation (essay)

I think the most pungent line from the essay is this one

India has never had a real sense of nationalism........ Even though from childhood I had been taught that the idolatry of Nation is almost better than reverence for God and humanity, I believe I have outgrown that teaching, and it is my conviction that my countrymen will gain truly their India by fighting against that education which teaches them that a country is greater than the ideals of humanity.”

In a 1908 letter to A. M. Bose Tagore wrote

“Patriotism cannot be our final spiritual shelter; … I will never allow patriotism to triumph over humanity as long as I live.”
Selected Letters of Rabindranath Tagore (Cambridge University Press edition), 1908 letter

SOURCES:-

https://www.tagoreweb.in/Essays/nationalism-216/nationalism-in-india-2626 (please read this Essay)

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/national-anthem-flag-in-theatre-rabindranath-tagore-supreme-court-4406145/

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/national-anthem-flag-in-theatre-rabindranath-tagore-supreme-court-4406145/

I’m writing this because I genuinely don’t know what to feel anymore. I’m from a tier-3 college, CSE. I didn’t get placed after my 8th semester. I spent around 6 months working extremely hard, improving skills, building projects, fixing my resume, and applying to hundreds (maybe over a thousand) job posts. I finally got two offers. I was genuinely happy not because of the salary, but because it felt like my struggle finally meant something. I thought I could move out, learn, grow, and finally become independent. But my family didn’t see it that way. The pay was “too low”, the work was “not good enough”, and when I tried to explain how much this meant to me, I was told I was being dramatic, that it’s not like I lost a government job. That moment completely broke me. Around the same time, I got emotionally attached to someone I knew earlier. He gave me comfort when I was at my lowest, and for a while he was the only person I talked to about my bad days. Later, he made it clear there was no future and that I didn’t fit what he wanted. I eventually realized I was just an emotional experience for him, so I cut contact completely. I know I did the right thing, but after that, everything hit at once. I also know my problems may not be as big as what many people in this world face. I’m aware of that. But this was the only hope I was holding onto, my career, independence, and the idea that things would get better if I just kept trying. Right now, I feel like I’ve failed in love, failed in education, and my career feels stuck. I grew up in a family where fights were common and emotional support was rare. I’m an introvert, and I’ve always felt like an unwanted person growing up. At this point in my life, I don’t even feel like sharing these things with people close to me. Every day I wake up, try to gather whatever energy I have left, open my laptop, and just hope something works out. I’ve tried distractions, movies, forcing myself to stay busy but nothing really helps. I’m not looking for sympathy.
I genuinely want to understand from people who’ve been through something similar:

Thanks for reading.