The leading US daily, the New York Times says Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s actions to suppress press freedom are undermining India’s status as “the world’s largest democracy.

In its opinion piece, the paper said the misuse of their powers to intimidate, censor, silence or punish independent news media is an alarming hallmark.

The New York Times also expressed concern over the latest manifestation of intolerance for critical reporting particularly invocation of emergency laws last month to block a BBC documentary titled ‘The Modi Question’.

It said as a result, self-censorship has spread, along with a shrill Hindu nationalism in news reports that echoes the government line.