Kashmir Journalist Arrested Under Anti-Terror Laws
A prominent Kashmiri journalist was arrested on accusations that he published "anti-national content," part of a wider crackdown on media in the disputed region.
The editor of the news portal Kashmir Walla, Fahad Shah, was arrested after being summoned for questioning in the southern town of Pulwama on Friday.
According to the police, he had been identified among Facebook users and portals that publish "anti-national content," without specifying what it is. It said the content was posted with the intention of creating fear and could "provoke the public to disturb law and order." It described the behavior as "tantamount to glorifying terrorist activities."
The case involves a gunfight between rebels trapped inside a civilian home and Indian troops in Pulwama on Jan. 30. According to police, a Kashmiri rebel commander and two Pakistanis were killed in the fighting. Officials described the fourth slain teen as a "hybrid" militant, a term authorities began using last year to describe militants who do not have police records.
Kashmir Walla presented both sides of the story in its reports on the fighting. In one video report, family members of the slain boy refuted the police.
The boy's sister contradicted an earlier statement from the family in another video.
Shah, 34, was arrested for sedition and terrorism under India's harsh laws, including penalties of up to seven years. Reporters associated with Kashmir Walla, including Shah, have been questioned many times for their reporting.
The police tweeted on Saturday that Shah was wanted in three cases for "glorifying terrorism, spreading fake news, and inciting general public to create law and order situations."
Shah has also written for several foreign publications. The Committee to Protect Journalists urged the Indian authorities to "immediately and unconditionally" release Shah and to "drop any investigations into his work and to cease detaining journalists."
*This article contains information sourced from VOA.
