Journalist Kavya Karnatac forced out of MP hotels while reporting on deaths of tribal children

Digital content creator and independent journalist Kavya Karnatac said that she and her team were forced to vacate two hotels in Madhya Pradesh while reporting on the deaths of tribal children and demands for better healthcare.

In a LinkedIn post, Karnatac alleged that police were checking hotel records and removing reporters who had travelled from Delhi. “I was thrown out of the hotel for showing the reality,” she wrote.

Karnatac said she had booked a hotel for three days for a shoot with her team but was asked to leave within a day, with the hotel citing a family function. She said the team moved to another hotel, where they were again asked to vacate within a night.

“Later, we found out that the police were checking the records of the hotels and taking out every reporter who had come from Delhi,” she alleged.

Her claims come as the Madhya Pradesh government faces criticism over the deaths of more than 30 tribal children from various diseases in Balaghat district. The Madhya Pradesh High Court last week sought a response from the state government while hearing a PIL that alleged inadequate treatment and claimed around 400 children were being treated at a hospital with a capacity of 50 beds.

Karnatac said people had taken to the streets demanding justice, better healthcare facilities and greater accountability. She said she travelled to the area because she believed it was important to report on that side of India.

Karnatac also alleged that she was constantly being watched and that police had her Aadhaar details. She said the experience left her frightened and that she felt unsafe leaving her belongings at the hotel.

Questioning police action, she said resources used to monitor reporters should instead be directed towards healthcare and basic facilities for villagers.