News|Freedom of the PressPolice raid Kashmir Times media office in Jammu: ReportsKashmir Times says raid in Indian-administered Kashmir marks ‘yet another attempt to silence’ its reporting.
Police in Indian-administered Kashmir have raided an office of the Kashmir Times, local news outlets are reporting, fuelling concerns about a deepening crackdown on press freedom in the disputed territory .
Police in Indian-administered Kashmir have raided an office of the Kashmir Times, local news outlets are reporting, fuelling concerns about a deepening crackdown on press freedom in the disputed territory .
The State Investigation Agency, a branch of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, carried out searches at the office in Jammu on Thursday, The Hindu newspaper and other outlets reported.
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It was not immediately clear what prompted the incident, but some news outlets said authorities have accused the Kashmir Times of promoting activities against the state.
The Kashmir Times rejected that allegation, describing the raid on its office as “yet another attempt to silence us”.
“The bizarre allegations against us are baseless,” the news outlet said in a statement shared on its website on Thursday. “Criticising the government is not the same as being inimical to the state. In fact, it is the very opposite,” it said.
The Kashmir Times rejected that allegation, describing the raid on its office as “yet another attempt to silence us”.
“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.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a global press freedom organisation, also raised concerns about the raid and called on police to return any documents or other property that was seized.
“The raid on the Kashmir Times office is deeply troubling and raises concerns about increasing pressure on media outlets in Jammu and Kashmir,” Kunal Majumder, CPJ’s Asia-Pacific programme coordinator, said in a statement.
Advertisement “Authorities must clearly explain the legal basis for this action and ensure that any investigation is conducted with transparency and full respect for due process. News outlets should not face punitive action simply for doing their journalistic work.”
In 2019, India revoked the special status for Indian-administered Kashmir, which had given the area a degree of autonomy.
The Indian government also bifurcated Kashmir into two regions – Jammu and Kashmir in the west and Ladakh in the east – to be ruled directly from New Delhi.
The population of Kashmir is overwhelmingly Muslim. Pakistan controls the northern and western portions, namely Azad Kashmir, Gilgit and Baltistan, while India controls the southern and southeastern parts, including the Kashmir Valley and its biggest city, Srinagar, as well as Jammu and Ladakh.
India and Pakistan have fought wars over Kashmir since the end of British colonial rule, and the partition in 1947 led to the creation of Muslim-majority Pakistan and Hindu-majority India. Both countries continue to assert claims to the entire region of Kashmir.
“The raid on the Kashmir Times office is deeply troubling and raises concerns about increasing pressure on media outlets in Jammu and Kashmir,” said CPJ’s Asia-Pacific Program Coordinator Kunal Majumder. “Authorities must clearly explain the legal basis for this action and ensure…
Based on reporting by Al Jazeera.