The two alleged murders of journalists in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in the last month has once again shown the country that India continues to be a place where your words can invite consequences, even death.

Assaults, harassment, threats, kidnappings and fatal attacks on journalists digging out truth to inform public about the wrongdoings of the power holders, has not only increased, but the lack of any punitive action against the accused has put the fourth estate in danger and isolation. Besides that, politician-police nexus in silencing the journalists reflects a grim tragedy.

As voices calling for making laws to ensure safety of journalists have grown louder and louder, activist and political cartoonist Aseem Trivedi has also joined the protest. His incisive, though simple, sketches on the vulnerability of journalists in India convey the message that in the world’s largest democracy, speaking the truth against the powerful can be lethal.

Here are ten cartoons by Aseem Trivedi against the recent attacks on journalists in India.

Read more here.

What can be more revealing than the fact that despite being a democracy, India is ranked 138th out of 180 countries when it comes to freedom of media and the safety of journalists.

Protect journalists. Or, there’ll be silence.