Srinagar: Asif Sultan, a prominent journalist based in Srinagar, found himself back in police custody mere hours after returning home following a five-year stint behind bars. His re-arrest, purportedly in connection with an “old case,” has reignited concerns over press freedom in the Jammu and Kashmir region.
Sultan, who was released from a prison in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, was apprehended again by the Jammu and Kashmir police on Thursday from his residence. His initial detention in 2018 under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) had drawn condemnation globally, with numerous international press freedom organizations advocating for his release. Notably, Sultan was honored with the prestigious annual John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award by the National Press Club of America.
Family sources revealed that Sultan, previously held at Srinagar Central Jail until April 2022, had been transferred to a facility in Uttar Pradesh under the draconian Public Safety Act (PSA). Upon his return home, he received a call from the police instructing him to report to the local police station, where he was promptly detained again.
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While the Jammu and Kashmir Police have remained silent on the re-arrest, official sources suggested Sultan’s detention was linked to a 2019 case registered at the Rainawari police station, concerning an agitation by inmates at Srinagar Central Jail.
Last December, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court declared Sultan’s detention under PSA as “illegal and unsustainable.” However, despite the court’s ruling, Sultan remained incarcerated in Uttar Pradesh for over two months without any explanation for the delay in his release.
Sultan, a journalist associated with the Srinagar-based English magazine Kashmir Narrator, was serving as an assistant editor when he was initially apprehended in September 2018 under the UAPA. His arrest followed the publication of a story on the slain militant commander Burhan Wani in the magazine. While his colleagues and family asserted his detention was related to his journalistic endeavors, the police accused Sultan of “hatching a criminal conspiracy” and “harboring militants” in their chargesheet.
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The chargesheet was filed in connection with a gunfight in Srinagar’s Batamaloo neighborhood, during which a policeman was killed by militants who managed to escape afterward.
In April 2022, the Jammu & Kashmir High Court granted Sultan bail in the UAPA case, citing the investigative agencies’ failure to establish his links with any militant group. However, he was promptly booked under PSA, allowing the government to detain individuals without trial for up to two years.
Sultan’s case has once again brought to the fore concerns regarding press freedom and the treatment of journalists in conflict-ridden regions like Jammu & Kashmir. The renewed outcry highlights the challenges faced by journalists operating in such environments and raises questions about the state of civil liberties in the region.
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