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Published : 21 Mar 2026, 03:41 PM
Authorities in India have sealed off the office of a news agency hours after the High Court cancelled the allotment of land to the institution, according to news reports.
The United News of India (UNI), one of the country’s oldest news outlets, alleged that no notice was served before the action and that the office was “forcibly vacated” on Friday night when many female employees were allegedly manhandled.
The Delhi Police along with paramilitary forces allegedly dragged at least 50 journalists out of the office, reports The Hindu.
Despite the raid, the UNI kept on publishing reports online and said around 300 government officials, law enforcers and lawyers stormed the office.
The UNI posted on X: “The sealing of the office of United News of India (UNI), one of the country’s oldest and most respected news agencies, has raised serious concerns over press freedom. Staff members were forcibly evicted, with several not allowed to retrieve their personal belongings.
“Female journalists were manhandled by teams of Delhi Police. Some Delhi Police personnel were intoxicated while on duty. Two lawyers and Delhi Police personnel abused several individuals.”
New Delhi’s deputy police chief Sachin Sharma, however, rejected the allegations. “We have made video recordings of the entire process.”
The High Court on Friday had upheld the cancellation of the land, observing that the UNI failed to construct a building on the plot for over four decades and effectively “squatted on valuable public land”, The Hindu adds.
The UNI and its owner, The Statesman, published photos and videos of police locking in altercations with the UNI employees during the raid.
In a report, The Statesman said the employees termed the move an “attack on press freedom”.
The action was abrupt and that several staffers were evicted without being allowed to collect their personal belongings, the report adds.
The development has sparked outrage among employees and raised broader questions about the functioning and protection of independent media institutions in India, mentioned The Statesman.
India was ranked 151st out of 180 countries in last year’s World Press Freedom Index.
