Kashmir: Indian police tighten curbs on media coverage of gun battles
Journalists have been advised to stay away from the site of shootouts in the name of safety and national security. But journalists have said the new rules are meant to prevent them from reporting live on the ground.
Kashmir police have said journalism was subject to reasonable curbs, so as not to endanger the lives of others or compromise national security
Indian authorities have asked journalists to refrain from live coverage of gun battles in Indian-administered Kashmir, a move seen by critics as a measure to further suppress freedom of the press in the restive Himalayan region.
Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir – For young Kashmiri photojournalist, Masrat Zahra, the fear of getting arrested or summoned by police always lurks around. She was charged under anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), in April this year for posting “anti-national” content on social media.
The case, says 26-year-old Zahra, “is like a sword hanging on my head” and was filed “to send a message” that even a young female journalist would not be spared. She is one of the few female journalists in the Muslim-majority region, which was stripped of its special status last August.
Zahra was among several Kashmiri journalists who were summoned by police early this year.
Workers Revolutionary Party
Farmers of Panipat district, Haryana, after successfully opening the gates of Panipat toll plaza, one of many motorway tolls throughout the country opened by farmers
SUPPORT has been pouring in for protesting farmers, who are camping on the Indian national capital’s borders demanding repeal of three new farm laws.
On Monday, trade unions and civil society groups held a solidarity march in Delhi’s ITO area, pledging solidarity with the agitating farmers.
The march was attended by members of key central unions, including the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), All India United Trade Union Centre (AITUC) among others.
Jammu and Kashmir Elections Take Toll on Region s Journalists arabherald.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from arabherald.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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SRINAGAR - Journalists covering the first district elections to take place in Indian-controlled Kashmir since the government revoked the region’s special status last year say they are being harassed and obstructed from reporting.
Media in the region were already facing challenges, including regulations imposed during the COVID-19 lockdown, limited internet access, restrictive new media laws, and arrests and harassment that have ramped up since India removed Article 370 from the constitution in August 2019, which granted autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir, India’s Muslim majority state.
But journalists say covering the District Development Councils and Panchayat by-elections have been particularly tough, with at least three assaulted while reporting on alleged obstruction at polls; pressure placed on the media to not report critically; and a high-speed internet ba