The Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed concern over growing human rights violations in Chhattisgarh. The court slammed the state government for harassing journalists and activists after branding them as Naxal sympathisers, reported The Telegraph. The apex court was hearing a petition filed on alleged fake encounters in the state, and was informed that the police have refused to register FIRs in several cases of extra-judicial killings. A bench of Justices V Gopala Gowda and Arun Misra said, "We want to know what is happening in the state. This type of reaction should not be there. People are to be given protection by the state government."

Unidentified men attacked tribal activist and Aam Aadmi Party member Soni Sori with chemicals, which burnt her face, in February. The house of Scroll.in contributor Malini Subramaniam was also attacked in Chhattisgarh's Jagdalpur city. In March, journalist Prabhat Singh was arrested in Bastar for posting messages on a WhatsApp group. He was accused of making comments against the now-defunct Samajik Ekta Manch, a vigilante group that had close links with the Bastar police.