Harish Khare, The Tribune editor, quits amid reports of pressure
Adding to the long line of esteemed Indian journalists who have resigned or been removed from their positions in recent times, Harish Khare has now quit as editor-in-chief of The Tribune, The Wire reports. The timing is intriguing: this comes weeks after the Chandigarh-based newspaper was slapped with criminal charges for publishing a story about a massive security flaw in Aadhaar.
A brief introduction to the highly regarded editor
Khare, a PhD scholar from Yale University, previously worked with Hindustan Times, Times of India and The Hindu in top editorial positions. In 2009, he was appointed media advisor to former president Manmohan Singh, but quit three years later. Since joining The Tribune in 2015, he has been credited with turning around the newspaper, from a stodgy publication to a keen voice with sharp commentaries.
Rumors about government pressure since last year
The Tribune was the first to break the story of the alleged Murthal gangrapes during the Jat agitation of 2016, which investigating agencies spent much time denying. Rumors about government pressure on the newspaper have circulated since last year. But the publication neither has any parallel businesses, nor holds events where it has to lobby ministers to attend, so it was less vulnerable.
The apparent tipping point
In January, it ran a story with alarming claims: The Tribune reportedly found a racket illegally selling Aadhaar details of anyone registered with UIDAI at just Rs. 500. The scam was also printing Aadhaar cards for even less, at just Rs. 300. The UIDAI vehemently denied the reports, and even lodged an FIR against the newspaper and Rachna Khaira, the reporter involved.
As SC hears anti-Aadhaar petitions, government scrambles to limit damage
But the story caused major embarrassment to the government, which is defending Aadhaar in an ongoing SC hearing. The government reportedly conveyed its displeasure to The Tribune's managing trust headed by J&K Governor NN Vohra. Apparently, Khare offered to complete his three-year contract of June'15, but the trust preferred his immediate departure. He is believed to have submitted his resignation earlier this week.
A string of resignations in recent times
In the last few months, several editors known for their critical stance of the government have quit or been removed, including Bobby Ghosh (Hindustan Times), Bharat Bhushan (Catch News), Karan Thapar (India Today TV), Paranjoy Guha Thakurta (EPW), Krishna Prasad and (Late) Neelabh Misra (Outlook). R. Jagannathan quit FirstPost and Praveen Swami resigned from Indian Express after being forced to take down similar pieces.
