The Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI) expresses shock and condemnation at the dastardly attack on Sneha Barve, editor of Samarth Bharat newspaper and SBP YouTube channel, in Manchar town near Pune in Maharashtra on July 4, 2025. The NWMI condemns the violence unleashed on her and demands the immediate arrest of the assailant, Pandurang Morde, on charges of attempt to murder.
Morde, who has a criminal record, is already out on bail in an attempt to murder case. He is a local businessman, allegedly having close ties to the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra. Thus far, there has been no condemnation of this attack on a journalist from the Maharashtra government.
Barve was viciously beaten with a big wooden rod even as she was broadcasting a video report of illegal construction activity on a riverbed, allegedly by Morde and his family. A video recording of the attack clearly shows her assailant hitting her with the rod even after she fell to the ground and was screaming for help. Bystanders who rushed to assist her were also beaten. The violent attack only stopped after she lost consciousness.
Barve was taken to a nearby hospital by bystanders and then shifted to the DY Patil Hospital in Pimpri-Chinchwad. The violent assault has left her with severe swelling and persistent headaches even after treatment and discharge. She needs to visit the hospital for check-ups on a daily basis.
During the period when she was hospitalised and unable to give a statement to police, a complaint about the violence unleashed by Morde was filed by Sudhakar Baburao Kale, one of the vegetable vendors who was also hurt in the attack.
It is shocking that, instead of applying the more serious charge of attempt to murder, the First Information Report (FIR) listed sections 118 (2), 115 (2), 189 (2), 191 (2), 190 and 351 (2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, pertaining to grievous hurt, intimidation, unlawful assembly and intimidation, which attract a maximum punishment of between one to two years only.
While the main accused, Pandurang Morde, was hospitalised on the claim that he had a fracture, other accused were arrested but secured bail, thanks to the relatively less serious charges against them.
The UNESCO report Press and Planet in Danger, 2024, revealed instances in which at least 749 journalists and news media outlets reporting on environmental issues across the world were targeted with murder, physical violence, detention and arrest, online harassment or legal attacks in the period 2009-2023. More than 300 attacks occurred between 2019-2023 – a 42% increase from the preceding five-year period (2014-2018).
Of the cases of at least 44 journalists investigating environmental issues over the last 15 years, only 5 have resulted in convictions – a shocking impunity rate of almost 90%.
Sneha Barve, who has faced threats for her reporting earlier, too, must not end up as an addition to these abysmal figures.
The NWMI demands that the police act promptly to lodge more serious charges against all the accused.
The Maharashtra government needs to act promptly to ensure that journalists are protected while carrying out their work. It is highly regrettable that Maharashtra, which is the first state to pass legislation to protect journalists at the workplace, is dragging its feet to ensure the safety and security of working journalists.
Related:
Sneha Barve’s report on her YouTube channel
