Journalists need the freedom to investigate and report on stories of public interest –whether illegal sand mining or corrpuption– and hold those in power accountable. A free press, is after all, one of the cornerstones of a democracy, without which it would be reduced to a farce. The NWMI therefore calls upon the Tamil Nadu police to desist from harassing journalists and stop the witch-hunt to which they are being subjected. The BJP must ask its members to cease false propaganda and innuendo against journalists who were doing their job.