Following the year-long lockdown of Indian-administered Kashmir and several alleged attempts to block free media, the regional officers have sealed the office building of the leading newspaper of the area, ‘Kashmir Times’, on 19th October. The editor of the English daily said that the move was “vendetta for speaking out” as she had earlier approached court regarding the communication barriers in the state and the internet ban.
Situated in Srinagar’s Press Enclave, Kashmir Times is one of the oldest running newspapers of the region.
Al Jazeera reported AnuradhaBhasin, the editor and owner of the English daily, that “no due process” was employed for shutting the office. The regional administration came to the building and sealed without any prior notice as well. The building was allotted to the said newspaper in the 1990s.
MsBhasin said, “No notice was given to us. They (referring to the officials] just came. Our staff was working in the office. They asked the staff to come out, saying they were putting a lock.”
Just a few days back, in the early days of October, MsBhasin had claimed that she was told to vacate her house located in the city of Jammu on no accounts.
She said the action was “an attempt to suppress” her to speak against the Indian government.
“Vendetta because last year, I went to court against the communication blockade and right from that very day, government advertisements to Kashmir Times were stopped. It has been going on since then,” she was quoted saying.
The BJP government suomoto divided the Indian-administered state of Kashmir, the only intact Muslim-majority state prior to 5th August, 2019. Naming them as separate territories, the government brought the estates under the direct rule of New Delhi, dissolving the right of the people to form their own government.
Add to this the year-long lockdown of the area with absolutely no chance of media and press from elsewhere reaching the region as the government banned the entry of others. Along with this, internet connectivity too had been snatched, which ceased communications too to other areas and states. A number of local politicians had been arrested as well.
Ms. Bhasin had lodged a plea in SC to remove the harsh communication and other bans, while continuing the functioning of her newspaper even though there was a severe blockade of telephone and internet lines, along with financial difficulties.
She said that the media paper did not stop writing about the various atrocities of the government that were brought with their policies.
“It [sealing of her office] is an attempt to gag me. It’s an attempt to suppress me. They can put locks on our office but they can’t put it on our voice,” she said.
However, an anonymous official from the department of the region said that the sealing of the Kashmir Times’ office is not as it has been shown.
“We have only taken possession of the building that was allotted to late VedBhasin, who died some years back,” he said. The man in his statement is Ms. Bhasin’s father and the founder of the English newspaper.
“The building was allotted to VedBhasin but when the allottee has died, you cannot continue with the accommodation or any facility in the name of the person who is no more,” said the official. He also claimed that the building was being used for residential purposes, rather than the reason it was originally given for.
“At the same time, they have another quarter in the vicinity of this one in the name of Kashmir Times which they use as their office,” he said.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) supported Ms. Bhasin and condemned the act of the department.
“We condemn the ongoing targeting and harassment of AnuradhaBhasin and Kashmir Times. Authorities must stop trying to silence independent and critical voices and should respect press freedom,” the committee’s statement read.
Another media house called Kashmir News Service was also evicted from the premises on October 15th.
Mohammed Aslam, editor of the local news agency said, “I received a call from Jammu and Kashmir’s estate department that we should vacate the office within an hour. No reason or eviction notice was served but we were verbally told so. The officer told me that they have orders from the higher authorities.”
In 2004, he said, the land was given to him and yet, was hurriedly forced to vacate it.
Several other Kashmiri journalists have over the year expressed their anguish and criticized the central government’s actions.
Joining the move and supporting Kashmir times was the former CMs of the state, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti,
Mehbooba Mufti, in a tweet, said MsBhasin included the small number of editors of Kashmir who actively spoke against the government’s illegal moves.
“Shutting down her office in Srinagar is straight out of BJP’s vendetta playbook to settle scores with those who dare to disagree,” her tweet read.
In the World Press Freedom Index of 2020, India stood at the 142nd spot in the world, which speaks volumes about the freedom provided to media and press in the country.
source: ytn staff
