NEW DELHI — For decades, India embraced many of the ideals that are the hallmarks of a liberal democracy. But since the election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu fundamentalist Bharatiya Janata Party in 2014, we have experienced a breathtaking erosion in the rule of law and civil and political rights and the unleashing of a wave of intolerance against religious minorities.

Sadly, much of the Indian media has been complicit in the B.J.P.’s assault on democratic and secular values, either by actively promoting the narrative of Mr. Modi and his party, or by censoring itself to avoid being punished.

There are still journalists who maintain their integrity and work to uphold the democratic ideals of the Indian Constitution. For these independent journalists, it has become something of a rite of passage to have the police come after them for speaking out against the ruling establishment.

As a founding editor of The Wire, an independent online news portal, I have had my own brushes with the law, chiefly in the form of defamation complaints. At one point, we faced 14 defamation cases, all of them frivolous, seeking damages totaling $1.3 billion. The cases were filed by people who are either a part of the ruling establishment or considered close to it. Seven cases have since been withdrawn.