In a 29 March 2000 letter to the chief minister of Punjab, Parkash Singh Badal, RSF expressed concern about the sanctions taken against journalist Sukhbir Singh Osan. RSF asked the governor to ensure that the journalist could recover his accreditation with the Punjab authorities. Robert Ménard, RSF's secretary general, reminded the authorities that "Indian laws guarantee press freedom".
According to the information obtained by RSF, on 10 March, the Punjab authorities decided to withdraw Singh Osan's accreditation. Singh Osan is a journalist who works with various newspapers and the manager of the web site www.burningpunjab.com, which is devoted to Sikh community news. The journalist is not allowed access to official information, and his phone is allegedly tapped.
The sanctions followed a police officer's report which accused the journalist of being a "terrorist". Singh Osan is known for a report which he wrote in November 1994 for the newspaper "The Hitavada" which dealt with a corruption affair involving the Indian authorities and a former governor of Punjab. Since then, the journalist has written various articles about corruption and violations of Sikh minority rights.
