‘Halt coercive measures’: News association condemns J&K raid on ‘Kashmir Times’

The raid at the office of the newspaper Kashmir Times in Jammu is a “direct assault on press freedom”, Digipub News India Foundation, an association of independent digital news organisations and journalists of which Scroll is a member, said on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, Jammu and Kashmir's State Investigation Agency raided the office of the news organisation, alleging that it was involved in “anti-national” activities. On Friday, the agency claimed that it had recovered arms and ammunition, along with other incriminating material, during the raid.

The editors of Kashmir Times, Prabodh Jamwal and Anuradha Bhasin, described the accusations as “baseless” and said that the “coordinated crackdown” was yet another attempt to silence the news organisation.

In its letter, Digipub noted that Bhasin had said she learnt about the raid through media reports and had denied receiving any notice from the authorities about the action.

“Digipub is deeply concerned by the increasing instances of journalists in Jammu and Kashmir – including members of Digipub – being subjected to intimidation under the guise of ‘verification' and ‘background checks',” it said. “Such patterns weaken independent journalism and undermine the public's right to information.”

The association urged the authorities to “immediately halt all coercive measures against Kashmir Times and ensure that journalists are able to work without fear or reprisal”.

Digipub said that it stands in solidarity with Kashmir Times and with all journalists in Jammu and Kashmir who continue to practise fact-based, public interest journalism despite adverse conditions.

It added: “Journalism is not a crime, and any attempt to silence independent voices harms the core values of our democracy.”

The State Investigation Agency on Friday said that the raid at the Kashmir Times office was part of its investigation into the newspaper's alleged “involvement in criminal conspiracy with secessionist and other anti-national entities”.

​​The State Investigation Agency is a specialised investigative body under the Union Territory's home department.

The agency claimed that it had recovered “one revolver, 14 empty cases of an AK-series weapon, three live AK rounds, four fired bullets, three grenade safety levers” and “three suspected pistol rounds” during the searches, which began at 6 am at the newpaper's Residency Road premises.

The charges listed against the Kashmir Times included disseminating terrorist and secessionist ideology, spreading inflammatory, fabricated and false narratives, and attempting to radicalise the youth of Jammu and Kashmir.

The agency also accused the newspaper of inciting disaffection and separatist sentiments, disturbing peace and public order, and challenging the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India through its print and digital content.

Jamwal and Bhasin, in their statement against the raid on Thursday, had said that criticising the government was not the same as being inimical to the state.

“In fact, it is the very opposite,” the editors said. “A robust, questioning press is essential to a healthy democracy. Our work of holding power to account, investigating corruption, amplifying marginalised voices strengthens our nation. It does not weaken it.”

They added: “We have asked difficult questions when others remained silent. We are being targeted precisely because we continue to do this work. In an era when critical voices are increasingly scarce, we remain one of the few independent outlets willing to speak truth to power.”

The editors said that the accusations levelled against the news organisation were designed to “intimidate, to delegitimise, and ultimately to silence”.

“We will not be silenced,” they asserted.

The editors called on the authorities to “immediately cease this harassment, withdraw these unfounded allegations, and respect the constitutional guarantees of press freedom”.

The statement also called on colleagues in the media to stand with the Kashmir Times.

“We call on civil society, on citizens who value their right to know, to recognise that this moment is a test of whether journalism can survive in an environment of increasing authoritarianism,” it said.

Source: Scroll
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