Kashmir Times raid draws concern over media pressure

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published 1 hour ago |  CPJ News Alert

CPJ urges Jammu and Kashmir authorities to return seized Kashmir Times property and explain the legal basis for a raid that raises new concerns over media pressure and transparency.

Summary

NEW DELHI — Police in the Indian-administered territory of Jammu and Kashmir must return any documents or other property seized during a raid on the Kashmir Times on Thursday, and ensure that members of the news outlet are not threatened with criminal charges for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said.

Growing concern over media pressure

“The raid on the Kashmir Times office is deeply troubling and raises concerns about increasing pressure on media outlets in Jammu and Kashmir,” said CPJ’s Asia-Pacific Program Coordinator Kunal Majumder. “Authorities must clearly explain the legal basis for this action and ensure that any investigation is conducted with transparency and full respect for due process. News outlets should not face punitive action simply for doing their journalistic work.”

Details of the raid and investigation

Officers from the State Investigation Agency conducted the raid on Thursday morning, according to multiple news reports, taking documents and digital devices. The police agency has not issued a public statement on the operation or its reason for the raids.

An official quoted by the Kashmir Observer said the raid was part of an investigation into the alleged “glorification of activities inimical to the interests of the country.” It is unclear which articles published by the English-language daily may have triggered the raid.

The agency has also reportedly opened a first information report (FIR), which initiates a police investigation in India, naming the Kashmir Times’ executive editor Anuradha Bhasin, according to the daily newspaper Deccan Herald.

Bhasin told CPJ in a phone call that she was not aware of any FIR filed against her and that the outlet’s Jammu office has not been operational since 2022 due to financial difficulties. The Kashmir Times has been operating primarily as an online publication. She said the premises contained only old computers and archival material from the publication, which was started by her father, Ved Bhasin, in 1954. The newspaper’s Srinagar office, located in government-rented premises, was sealed by authorities in 2020.

Jammu and Kashmir police did not immediately respond to CPJ’s email requesting comment.

KEY POINTS:

• Police raided the Kashmir Times office in Jammu and Kashmir, seizing documents and digital devices
• CPJ called the operation troubling and urged authorities to return the property and avoid criminalizing journalism
• Local reports say the raid is linked to the alleged glorification of activities against national interests
• An FIR reportedly names executive editor Anuradha Bhasin, though she says she does not know of it
• The outlet’s Jammu office has been largely inactive since 2022, and its Srinagar office was sealed in 2020
• Police have not issued a public explanation for the raid

PHOTO: A man reads a local newspaper in front of closed shops in Srinagar, a city in Jammu and Kashmir, on June 15, 2021. Police raided the Kashmir Times’ office in Jammu on November 20, 2025. (Photo by Tauseef Mustafa/AFP)