India, Oct. 19 -- Vivek Sagar earns his living through photography. But after being detained by police while covering a protest in Delhi, the independent photographer says he was left with a damaged camera and without his phone. He also says photographs were deleted during the incident.

Sagar says he has made repeated visits to the police station to recover his phone, but it has not been returned. He is now raising funds to repair or replace his equipment so he can resume his work documenting street life and public events.

For independent photographers, equipment costs can become a serious financial burden when something goes wrong. Without the backing of a media organisation, they may have to cover repair or replacement costs themselv...