The murder of the renowned journalist Gauri Lankesh on September 5 has again brought into sharp focus the bitter truth that freedom of expression is merely on paper. In practice, sane and inconvenient voices will be silenced. Gauri’s was the second murder of a journalist in India this year -- Kamlesh Jain, a reporter for the Hindi daily Nai Duniya, was shot dead in Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh on May 31. Globally, some 45 journalists have met the same fate this year.

In the aftermath of the arrest of Gurmeet Ram Rahim last month, the victims, witnesses, investigating officers and the judges were all applauded for their derring-do that resulted in bringing the rapist to justice. But the journalists reporting on it all did not receive any kudos for having done their job in the face of risks and the actual ordeal many of them underwent. Many of them suffered injuries, some of them barely escaped being lynched, and their OB vans and other vehicles were set on fire and damaged by Ram Rahim’s goons.

In 2002, journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati lost his life for exposing the rapist ‘Baba’ in his evening tabloid Pura Sach. Undeterred by the killing of his father, Anshul Chhatrapati persisted with his legal battle against the all-powerful Ram Rahim. While politicians of all hues and policemen paid obeisance at his feet, this father-son duo had the guts and the gumption to take him on. While the father paid a heavy price, succumbing to fatal bullet injuries in November 2002, the son carried on his mission.