Kashmir: Reporter Arrested On Charges Of Harbouring Militants

On the intervening night of August 27-28, security forces scaled the two gates of journalist Aasif Sultan Syed’s house, a reporter with the Kashmir Narrator, and launched a late-night search operation at his home in Batamaloo area of Srinagar, claims Muhammad Sultan Sayed, the journalist’s father. They ransacked the rooms and seized everything they encountered, including cell phones, laptop, documents and other electronic items. Aasif’s father maintains that the police made searches without showing a warrant. “The raid lasted for almost two hours, between 11.15 p.m. to 1.27 a.m., after which they took Aasif along with them,” Muhammad Sultan told Newsclick.

Since then, Aasif has been in police custody and charges of “complicity” in “harbouring known terrorists” has been slapped against him. The journalist was produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court by the police seeking remand and were granted seven days custody. While, Aasif, 31, is in custody, his organisation has raised their voice against his arrest. They believe that the journalist has been “framed wrongfully” and targeted for his reportage. “This is a cock and bull story. [The police] are not happy with our reportage,” Showkat A. Motta, editor of the Kashmir Narrator, had said. “We have taken up his arrest with CPJ, IFJ, and other global organisations. We will fight it in the court of law,” Showkat told The Indian Express.

Meanwhile, a person on condition of anonymity, said, “Yesterday, there was a holiday because of Janamasthami. So, we moved court today. We have applied for bail. So, the situation is unclear to comment anything now.”

Sources disclosed that the case against Aasif was a targeted one, based on his article on Burhan Wani – The Rise of Burhan. He had written the article on July 1, ahead of the anniversary of Burhan Wani’s killing on July 8, 2016. After the publication of the article, the editor of the Kashmir Narrator, Showkat, had received a mail from “Media cell/ CID J&K” with a set of queries on the publication of the article including why the editor considered publishing such an article.

“This case is about harbouring a militant but yes, he is writing against uniformed forces, supporting militancy. He’s written against the state. We are planning to file a separate case but not now,” G.V. Sundeep Chakravarthi, superintendent of police, Srinagar South, told Scroll.in. “On 31/8/2018 Aasif Sultan S/O Mohammad Sultan Saida R/O Firdousabad Batamaloo has been arrested by Police Station Batamaloo in case FIR No 173/2018,” a police statement stated.

Meanwhile, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued a statement condemning the  detention of the journalist. “Police should immediately release Aasif Sultan from jail and halt efforts to pressure him to reveal sources or become an informer,” said Steven Butler, CPJ's Asia programme coordinator, in a statement. “By reporting on militant activity, Sultan is performing an important public service, not committing a crime.”

Newsclick tried contacting several people regarding the case but nobody was willing to talk citing the matter as sub judice.

This is not the first attack on journalists in Kashmir. Earlier, Kamran Yousuf, a photo journalist was arrested, followed by the assassination of the editor of Rising Kashmir, Shujaat Bukhari, and the summoning of Auqib Javeed, a Srinagar-based reporter.