Kashmir Times, one of the oldest English dailies of Jammu and Kashmir, was on Thursday raided by the State Investigation Agency (SIA) over alleged anti-national activities.
During the raid that lasted for around 11 hours, the SIA sleuths seized numerous documents, hard drives, DVDs, and other storage devices.
According to reports, an FIR has also been filed against Kashmir Times and its editor Anuradha Bhasin for allegedly threatening the integrity of the country and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Reacting sharply to the SIA raid, Kashmir Times editors Anuradha Bhasin and Prabodh Jamwal said that the accusations and the coordinated crackdown were another attempt to silence them.
“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,” the said in a statement carried by the daily on its news website.
The states that 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.”
The Kashmir Times editors further stated that their work of holding power to account, investigating corruption, amplifying marginalised voices strengthens the country and not weaken it.
Founded in 1954 by Ved Bhasin, Kashmir Times has stood as a pillar of independent journalism, they said.
“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.
Meanwhile, reacting to the SIA raid at Kashmir Times, Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister Surinder Choudhary said that the the agencies are doing their work.
He, however, urged the agencies not to conduct their raids on a pick-and-choose basis.
“If they have done anything wrong, action should be taken, but not just to create pressure. The Press is the fourth estate, and it should get space to practice journalism,” Surinder Choudhary told reporters.