The State Investigation Agency (SIA) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday conducted searches at the office of the Kashmir Times in Jammu for alleged involvement in anti-national activities.
The J&K police said it has filed a case against the English daily, owned by Anuradha Bhasin Jamwal, for involvement in anti-national activities, attempts to spread disaffection against the country and peddling separatists’ narrative.
14 cartridges of AK-47, some rounds of pistol and three hand grenade pins were recovered during the searches, sources said. However, an official statement from the authorities is awaited.
Also Read: Lockers of doctors, medical staff of J&K’s GMC hospital inspected amid Delhi blast
The fresh action comes five years after the Srinagar office of Kashmir Times was sealed by the Jammu and Kashmir authorities in October 2020.
Kashmir Times slams raids
The management of the Kashmir Times criticised the raids on its Jammu office, calling it “a coordinated attempt to suppress an independent media institution”.
In a joint statement, Editors Prabodh Jamwal and Anuradha Bhasin said, “The reported raids on our office in Jammu, the baseless accusations of activities inimical to the state and the coordinated crackdown on the Kashmir Times are yet another attempt to silence us.”
Also Read: Paramedic-turned-imam led J&K Police to Faridabad terror module
“Criticising the government is not the same as being inimical to the state. In fact, it is the very opposite. 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 said.
The editors said that the English daily, founded in 1954 by Ved Bhasin, has consistently upheld independent journalism.
“We have chronicled the region’s triumphs and failures with equal rigour. We have given voice to communities that would otherwise go unheard. We have asked difficult questions when others remained silent,” the statement added.
