Journalists in held-Kashmir under Threat from Indian Army

[Introvert]

Journalists in held-Kashmir under Threat from Indian Army
'Pakistan Times' Kashmir Desk

SRINAGAR (IHK): In occupied Kashmir, the journalist community in Baramulla district has been scared by Indian troops and they are reluctant to discharge their professional obligations due to harassment.

Press persons working for various Srinagar based newspapers say they are constantly receiving life threats by the troops in case they publish anything exposing wrongs of the army. These threats are coming from Baramulla based 46 Rashtriya Rifles.

According to a statement sent to media by Baramulla based Journalists Association, this all started on Saturday May 19, when two Indian troops were killed in the main market of Baramulla.

Following the incident the troops launched a search operation in the area and during which they forcibly entered the house of one of the renowned journalists of the district, Ghulam Jeelani Baba and thrashed him and his family members. Baba was critically injured due to thrashing.

As per the statement, Altaf was targeted as he had earlier reported regarding the atrocities committed by an Indian army officer on civilians.

The coverage of the incident and ransacking of his house further agitated the said officer and he, according to the statement, dropped in the office of Altaf Baba and warned him and other journalists present there of severe consequences in the coming days.

Subsequently, the journalists met the Baramulla Deputy Commissioner who assured them of necessary action against in the matter.

Journalists from Sopore also submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner Baramulla and expressed solidarity with their Baramulla colleagues.

But so far, the statement says, no action has been taken to end the fear gripping the journalist community.

http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/05/24/kashmir3.htm

 

[Bull]

Funny to note that the troops working in Kashmir was in the limelight for all the wrong reasons from suicides to staged encounter inspite of this 'death threat' .

 

[con]

And why should someone believe this report?

 

[romeo5]

Does anyone have reason to refute the report?

India deosn't allow journalists into IOK and when it does it bullies them.

 

[Asian.Century]

JOURNALISTS ATTACKED IN KASHMIR WHILE COVERING ELECTIONS

PUBLISHED ON MONDAY 2014.

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Reporters Without Borders condemns attacks on journalists in the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir during coverage of parliamentary elections that are taking in stages.

Sheikh Inayet, a local correspondent for Times Now TV, and Zahoor Ahmad Bhat, a reporter for the Sharherbeen Times, were covering a local party’s election meeting in Bandipora on 19 April when they were attacked and badly injured by members of the elite Special Operations Group (SOG), as well as police officers and reservists.

Javed Dar, a photo-journalist working for Xinhua News, was attacked and injured by police in the town of Kulgam on 24 April, while the windows of the car of the journalist accompanying him, Farooq Javed Khan, were smashed.

Shabnam Fayz of Munsif TV and Aadil Umar Shah of Voice TV had to be hospitalized after being beaten by police while covering protests in Pulwama, a town to the west of Srinagar, on 24 April.

“We call on the central government to shed light on these attacks and to do what is necessary to arrest and punish those responsible,” said Benjamin Ismaïl, the head of the Reporters Without Borders Asia-Pacific desk. “The Kashmiri authorities must stop obstructing the work of journalists and stop controlling the flow of information in the region.

“In view of the electoral tension in Kashmir, it is vital that the authorities encourage a transparent election and allow a democratic debate. Kashmir must cease to be a lawless region in which journalists keep on having to expose themselves to danger.”

Inayet told Reporters Without Borders: “We were surrounded by a score of police officers who began to beat us with their gun butts and canes as soon as they heard that we were Times Now journalists. They also took our cameras and damaged them.”

Bhat said: “The police beat us unconscious. My back and arm were badly injured and I am unable to do my regular work.”

Srinagar journalists staged a sit-in on 3 April in protest against the low number of press accreditations issued by the authorities, which restricted coverage of the candidate registration process.

India is ranked 140th out of 180 countries in the 2014 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index.