On Thursday, the State Investigation Agency (SIA) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police carried out a raid at the Jammu office of the Kashmir Times. They reportedly found AK rifle cartridges, pistol rounds, and pins of hand grenades inside the premises.
The SIA said the search was part of an ongoing investigation into a case filed against the newspaper and its promoters for allegedly “promoting activities against the country”. Teams inspected multiple rooms, examined computer systems, and documented all materials seized. Officials added that the paper’s promoters will be questioned “in the coming days”.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Singh Choudhary, told the reporters, “If they have done something wrong, then action should be taken… if you do it only to (build) pressure, then that will be wrong.”
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About Kashmir Times
Founded in 1954 by veteran journalist Ved Bhasin, the Kashmir Times has long held a reputation for being sharply critical of the state. After Bhasin’s death, the paper’s editorial and managerial responsibilities shifted to his daughter Anuradha Bhasin Jamwal and her husband Prabodh Jamwal. Eventually, the newspaper stopped printing from Jammu in 2021–22 but continues with its online edition.
Notably, Bhasin’s name had earlier appeared in the Ghulam Nabi Fai terror seminar controversy.
Hours after the raid, Anuradha Bhasin and Prabodh Jamwal issued a joint statement, calling the action a direct assault on journalistic independence.
“Criticising the government is not the same as being inimical to the state. A robust, questioning press is essential to a healthy democracy,” they wrote.
They added that the allegations were “designed to intimidate, to delegitimise, and ultimately to silence. We will not be silenced.”
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They urged authorities to drop the charges and reiterate that “journalism is not a crime.”
PDP leader Iltija Mufti, daughter of former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, slammed the action as “preposterous.” She said the Kashmir Times had consistently “spoke truth to power and refused to bend or buckle under pressure and intimidation.”
“Raiding their offices under the guise of carrying out anti-national activities reeks of high-handedness… In Kashmir, every outlet of truth is being choked by invoking the anti-national slur. Are we all anti-nationals?” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
