India has slipped three notches in the World Press Freedom Index 2017, a report released by global media watchdog Reporters Without Borders that has cited the “threat from Modi’s nationalism”.

In the list of 180 countries mapped, India stands at 136, down from last year’s 133, colour-coded again in red to show the situation as “difficult”.

“With Hindu nationalists trying to purge all manifestations of anti-national thought from the national debate, self-censorship is growing in the mainstream media. Journalists are increasingly the targets of online smear campaigns by the most radical nationalists, who vilify them and even threaten physical reprisals,” the report said.

• Where's our freedom of expression?

Journalists are increasingly targets of online smear campaigns by most radical nationalists, who vilify them and even threaten physical reprisals, the report notes. “Prosecutions are also used to gag journalists overly critical of the government, with some prosecutors invoking Section 124A of the (Indian) penal code, under which ‘sedition’ is punishable by life imprisonment. No journalist has so far been convicted of sedition but the threat encourages self-censorship.”

Norway came out the top of the index with the world’s freest media. It took over from neighbouring Finland which had held the title for six years. At the other end of the scale, North Korea took the bottom place.

United States also lost two points this year as compared to 2016, to be ranked 43 in the Index.

India’s neighbour Pakistan, ranked 139, is among the few countries with most improved scores since 2016, according to the new report. It was ranked 147 last year.