New Delhi: On January 14, senior Kashmiri journalist Bashaarat Masood from The Indian Express was called to report to the Cyber Police Station, Srinagar.
Once inside the station, Masood was told to wait for hours on end. After spending nearly seven hours in the station, Masood was asked to report back the next day – with the suggestion that he bring along a friend or colleague.
The next day, when Masood reached the station, he was taken to the district magistrate’s office and asked to sign a bond. The bond, written in Urdu, asked the journalist not to repeat his mistake. The journalist was now curious and skeptical, and asked the officers what ‘mistake’ the bond was referring to.
The bond was linked to a story Masood had reported on political reactions to the recent police action seeking information about the Valley’s mosques and who runs them. Upon learning that their reasoning for the bond was apparently rooted in the apprehension that Masood was a threat to public law and order for authoring the story, he refused to sign. While the reporter refused to speak to The Wire, sources close to Masood told The Wire that because of his refusal to sign the bond, he was made to report to the station for three more days. After this incident, sources told The Wire that at least two other reporters have also been called in by the police.
“Bashaarat Masood, Assistant Editor, and a member of the Srinagar bureau of The Indian Express since 2006, was called, on four days, to the Cyber Police Station, Srinagar, and asked to sign a bond which he has not signed. The Indian Express is committed to doing what is necessary to uphold and protect the rights and dignity of its journalists,” The Indian Express said in response to a query from The Wire.
The Wire has confirmed that the reporter in Srinagar of another prominent national daily Hindustan Times, Ashiq Hussain, was also “summoned” but he did not comply with the demand to go to the police station. The newspaper said it “sought a written summons, with reason, so that it can respond”, as otherwise Hussain was told “you will be told the reason when you appear before the police”. The Wire has reached out to Hindustan Times for comments regarding this, and the article will be updated when a response is received.
Journalists in the Valley, those associated with both national and local publications and freelancers, have reported being called in for questioning by the police and security agencies over routine reporting, social media posts and interactions, including being asked about sources and editorial decisions. Many journalists told The Wire they were fearful of reprisals, legal entanglements or further harassment, and requested anonymity while describing the frequency, purpose and intensity of these interactions with the authorities. They said the fear of being put on no-fly lists, blacklisted and surveilled was only too real.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.
