There is something so familiar about the times we are living through. Images from the past bubble to the surface, coalescing into those emerging from the present moment. The bombing of Palestine lives on in the decimation of Beirut today, and the carpet bombing of Iran recalls the US’s Christmas Bombings of Vietnam. In India scenes of indescribable public pain seem to be replays of those that followed the prime minister’s famous televised announcement of November 8, 2016, that currency notes of denominations of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 will no longer be legal tender from the midnight of that very day. Or after that other special late evening address to the nation almost exactly six years ago, when a 21-day lockdown was announced to “contain the COVID-19 pandemic”, beginning – once again – at midnight. Interminable queues forming outside banks or of workers fleeing the city; unlit kitchen fires in humble abodes across the country; shuttered shops and eateries that can no longer cater to their once surging clientele…Earlier the queues would have been outside banks, today they form outside gas distribution centres; earlier shops were shuttered because the city had been emptied out, today it is because the vital fuel that keeps them going is no longer available.A worker sits over LPG cylinders during distribution at a gas agency, in Chikkamagaluru, Karnataka, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. Long queues were seen at several gas agencies amid an ongoing LPG supply shortage in the country. Photo: PTI.What is also common is the clear reluctance of many mainstream establishments to get into the pores of this story largely because of the media grooming that this government has always excelled in. In fact, if truth be told, the media may have been more active social documenters during demonetisation and the pandemic than they are today. Perhaps it is the law of diminishing returns. Distress exists in plain sight, but they no longer make a story.So we have informational anomalies like official claims that there are no fuel shortages despite clear proof of distress on the street. The bias in India’s public stance in favour of the US-Israel axis is palpable but all we hear is about Modi’s “deft” foreign policy. While analysts have raised serious questions about the incredibly bad timing of the prime ministerial visit to Tel Aviv on the eve of these hostilities and the cringe-worthy words he pronounced once ensconced in Netanyahu’s bear hug, India’s influential television media sees nothing amiss about India having let down its own legacy in failing to commiserate with Iran in an appropriate manner on the killing of Ayotollah Ali Khamenei; or on the country’s unconscionable silence over the torpedoing of the IRIS Dena by the US Navy. It is Israeli sources and spokespersons who have come to dominate our small screens, even as the embedding of Indian corporations in the genocidal project of the Zionist state is now emerging as a global scandal (see ‘Interview | Are Indian Corporations Complicit in Israel’s Genocide in Gaza?’, The Wire, March 18).To understand how this script runs, watch Navika Kumar’s prime time show of March 16 on Times Now. She goes full sail in heralding the safe arrival of India’s LPG tanker, Shivalik, after crossing the Strait of Hormuz: ‘STRENGTH OF INDIA’S DIPLOMACY…MODI-PLOMACY DELIVERS, OPP CHOKES’, goes the headline, as she blithely announces to the world that Modi is simultaneously engaging Tehran, Washington and Tel Aviv and has succeeded in “cushioning the fuel shock.” Such assertions fly in the face of ground reality, but of course neither Kumar nor her peers in the television news business are even interested in getting their audiences to engage with the brutal truth.Ironically, some of the best reportage on the real time impacts of the Gulf war on India has been done by non-Indian media. The news agency, Reuters, came up with a granular report on March 11 on the real state of play, including details such as how an automobile parts plant in Gujarat has replaced tea with lemon water and hot soup with buttermilk for its workers. A Guardian report of March 19 (‘Waiting for days’: India feels impact of gas supply chain disruption amid Iran conflict’) describes how a Delhi housewife carts her six-month toddler to the gas centre as she waits for a refill and how the family has now cut down its daily meals to just one. The report incidentally fact checks Navika Kumar’s excitement over two tankers having made it through the Strait of Hormuz: “India imports about 60% of its LPG, 90% of that routed through the strait of Hormuz. Only two cargoes have made it through since the strait closed, a fraction of daily demand.” What made this piece particularly moving were the photographs it carried.But there were a few outstanding reports done by Indian newspapers as well. A comprehensive look at the hotel and restaurant scene by the Hindu was among them (‘Hotels, restaurants across India grapple with gas shortage as West Asia conflict prolongs’), while the Indian Express hinted at an emerging migrant crisis not seen since the pandemic (‘Can’t afford to refill LPG cylinder’: Many workers leave Surat setting alarm bells ringing in textile industry’, March 20). But by far the best exposition of the cascading nature of the crisis was captured by a lesser known news portal, CarbonCopy (‘West Asia Shock Ripples Through India’s Kitchens, Factories and Supply Chains’, March 16), which combined sharp reportage with economic assessment. As for the Wire, its editorial on ‘Questions the Modi Govt Hasn’t Answered’ (March 14) dared to go where much of the Indian media were too timorous to venture: the yawning, dangerous gap between Indian government’s policies and its performance. These strike at the very heart of what it means to govern a country of this size. But the most important question the piece raised is this: Where is democratic accountability in the middle of a crisis? Since democratic accountability is deeply enmeshed in media accountability, the question could also point at the Indian media and its large-scale reneging of a core function: holding the government to account.§What does this censorship spike say about us?A school teacher with a gift for mimicry – and a touch of irony, that’s it. The story of Saket Purohit from Madhya Pradesh’s Shivpuri, whose video mimicking the prime minister went viral, is a fable for our times (‘Primary School Teacher Suspended For Mimicking PM Modi’, March 16). It tells you three aspects of our current public sphere. One, that any attempt to satirise the prime minister will not be tolerated in the Kingdom of Bharat; two, that the factotums of the government, call them the desi gestapo, are keeping an eye on you, especially if you put out posts that become viral, and more especially if those viral posts have to do with the prime minister. Three, that you can be sure that you will be dealt with suitably. In Purohit’s case he lost his job. But if all this seems pretty dismal, there’s a fourth aspect that could cheer us up a bit – if a humble school teacher can puncture the thin skin of the State, there is hope for all of us. It seems the more the Modi government cracks down on satire, the more visible it becomes. A recent piece in the Wire painstakingly brings us up to speed on recent takedowns of presumably offensive material ordered by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. Because the whole process is so opaque, the average citizen remains blissfully ignorant of the big cudgel that is being wielded in the backroom. But interestingly, as The Wire piece points out, censorship like murder will out. Those who have been silenced have now taken to publicising their takedown notices. For instance, as the article points out, noted cartoonist Satish Acharya let it be known publicly that two of his cartoons were censored: “The first cartoon, titled “India-Iran dosti is as old as history!”, depicted Modi blindfolded alongside a body labelled “Killed by USA & Israel”. The second showed a figure wearing a US flag hat with the caption, “Iran’s Irisdena ship returning from naval exercise in India destroyed by US submarine”. Takedown orders were also issued against a post that said, “Sher Paala Hai (Conditions Apply)” and “56 Inch* *only till 12 nautical miles” and another user, ‘Gss’, referenced the prime-ministerial habit of breaking out into meaningless laughter while meeting with foreign dignitaries. These light counter-offensives to the heavy censor’s hand are encouraging because they serve to pierce the veil and expose the true nature of a government that swears by its democratic credentials.But the Modi government is on a perpetual mission to ring-fence its image. Reports now come that the Centre is expanding its censorship wings by empowering the ministries of Home, External Affairs, Defence and Information and Broadcasting (apart of course from MeitY) to block material deemed as a threat to the country’s security and sovereignty. We have to reconcile ourselves to further declines in India’s democracy ratings, it appears. This year according to the V-Dem report, India has slipped five notches and is 105th on the liberal democracy index. Last year it ranked 100. Don’t expect any reversal of this trend in the immediate future.§Readers Write In…Something rotten in the stateGeorge Ninan responds to ‘Are Some Dynasts More Acceptable Than Others?’ (March 11).Why on earth do we expect politicians to be of high integrity; it is the nature of politics to be above ideology, ethics, values, norms, and focus on interests. But then we are forgiving of public servants especially in the higher, privileged grades, from any burden of accountability; adulating them as celebrities and holders of sinecures. Ditto with our faujis and their prowess at ceremonial drill never mind their abysmal capabilities in battle drills. Even the LTTE sent them packing, forget about Beijing’s PLA. If only a few generals, brigadiers, had been cashiered, sent to prison, for omissions, criminal derelictions, abetting the murders at Baisaran, just outside Pahalgam, in that territory known as the most militarized place in the world, we would have been spared the mortification, ignominy of the Rafale clay-pigeon display. The IPKF was sent to Jaffna without maps, having to use Sri Lankan Tourist Board publicity material. Gilgit scouts constructed bunkers overlooking Kargil town and the highway to Leh, with reinforced concrete, so impregnable that they required depleted uranium tipped shells collected post haste from Tel Aviv to destroy them. Seven months of construction, deep within the line of control; a brigade at Batalik, infantry division at Kargil, corps at Leh, and another Rashtriya Rifles in Srinagar.There is something rotten about the state of Denmark; our national socialists of the fourth reich are merely the current avatar.§Curb the use of ChatGPTSuhel, who describes himself as a “dedicated reader of The Wire since its inception”, shares his concern about what appears to be an increasing use of ChatGPT in some of the articles published on the site. That ChatGPT is ubiquitous, and sometimes mildly useful, is not in question here. I ran this email through it as well. My concern is word-heavy, image-heavy pieces of work that obscures the subject.Left to its devices, ChatGPT often deploys five words where one would do. For example: “In remote parts of South Asia, land is rarely just property. It is memory, insurance, identity, and survival at once.” It also tends to exaggerate a point already made, burdening the reader with unnecessary word salads: “It was not ideological. It was ecological.” The result is writing that sometimes feels like a puzzle, when what the reader, already buried under an avalanche of information from all sides, needs is clean, readable prose in which to hide temporarily.I am not entirely sure if this is a fair complaint. But I was motivated enough to write this email, so I hope it is taken in the intended spirit. My apologies if it seems presumptuous. Additionally, I want to bring to your attention the fact that in North Goa, where I live, The Wire often fails to load on my BSNL broadband network while working fine on other internet networks like Airtel mobile internet and Ethernet Express broadband internet. My response: Thank you, Suhel, for your salient observations.§Important correctionSonu Kumar, another Wire reader, makes an important correction – the mark of a careful reader. The correction was duly made.I was reading one of the articles published on your website and noticed a small line that might need a quick correction. The line went: “The US administration has announced that India will be allowed a 30-day waiver period to purchase oil from India.”I believe there may be a small mix-up here. As per the context, the waiver being discussed is related to India purchasing oil from Russia, not from India itself. So it would likely read more accurately as: India being allowed a waiver to purchase oil from Russia.I just thought of flagging it so the content can be updated if required. As a regular reader, it feels nice to contribute in a small way when something like this comes up. Also, if the correction helps improve the article, I will happily take the credit of having helped your editorial team spot it.Keep up the great work!§Unwarranted broadsideSujata Madhok, president, S.K.Pande, vice president and A.M. Jigeesh, general secretary, of the Delhi Union of Journalists sent in this mail, expressing their surprise over the sharp attacks on Tribune editor Jyoti Malhotra and the newspaper, by Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira, in response to an article written by her. The article on Punjab’s politics critiqued both the AAP Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann for his loose remarks on women at a rally in Ludhiana as well as Khaira’s reported remarks on “dancing women”. Khaira has denied the comments and chosen to respond with aggressive tweets, including calling the woman journalist a puppet of the AAP government. The DUJ condemns the MLA’s remarks and the derogatory language. The DUJ wishes to point out that Malhotra is a professional journalist with highly credible credentials. She is one of the handful of women journalists to head a daily newspaper. As a woman, she has been sensitive to the misogyny exhibited by several Punjab politicians in their attitudes to women and has rightly chosen to critique it. Clearly Khaira and others like him are too thin-skinned to accept criticism on this score.His broadside against both Malhotra and The Tribune reveal the falling standards of political discourse in the country. The threat of legal action reflects the growing intolerance towards dissent. DUJ demands that Khaira apologise for his remarks and withdraw them… §Women’s freedom foundation of all freedomsREPAK, the Kurdish Women’s Foreign Relations Office, sent across a message of solidarity on Women’s Day, which resonates at this time of war in West Asia…We extend our greetings to all women around the world who are fighting for their rights, to everyone engaged in this struggle, and to Kurdish women. The world is evolving toward a multipolar and fragmented order. Capitalism, patriarchy, and power have caused the collapse of a foundation once thought immutable. Women’s freedom is the foundation of all social freedoms, the subjugation of women is at the root of all forms of slavery and all wars of domination. Therefore women’s freedom demands a radical and far-reaching struggle. To achieve this, we must liberate ourselves from old mentalities, culture, way of life, and tools of power.§END NOTE: From trade unionist Santosh, came this important list of “spontaneous workers’ movements that have emerged in India so far during Feb–March 2026, on the demand of an 8-hour workday. Please note that media coverage of these incidents has been largely missing: February:1) Barauni IOCL Refinery (Bihar)2) Panipat IOCL Refinery (Haryana) – 23 Feb* Triggered by the deaths of two workers.3) Mittal-Nippon Steel Plant (Surat, Gujarat) – 26 Feb* Inspired by the Panipat Refinery strike.* Police arrested 20 workers and fired 35 tear gas shells in an attempt to suppress the protest.4) IOCL Bottling Plant (Salem, Tamil Nadu)* Launched in solidarity with the Panipat Refinery struggle.5) Lara NTPC Plant (Raigarh, Chhattisgarh)March, between 9 and 15:6) Adani Thermal Power Plant (Korba, Chhattisgarh)7) Vedanta Power Plant (Singhitarai, Chhattisgarh)8) Buxar Thermal Power Plant (Bihar)9) Hindustan Zinc Limited (Chittorgarh, Rajasthan)10) Vadodara IOCL (Gujarat)11) Obra Thermal Power Plant (Sonbhadra, UP)March 16:12) Adani Power Plant (Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh)The strike followed the death of a worker at an expansion project being executed by BHEL.13) NTPC Plant (Shakti Nagar, UP)14) UltraTech Cement (Patratu, Jharkhand)15) UltraTech Cement (Petnikota, Andhra Pradesh)March 17:16) Adani Power Plant (Raigarh, Chhattisgarh)March 18:17) Tata Steel Plant (Jamshedpur, Jharkhand)18) Tata Power Plant (Mundra, Gujarat)19) Jindal Steel and Power Plant (Raigarh, Chhattisgarh)This list was compiled on March 18.Write to ombudsperson@thewire.in.