The State Investigation Agency (SIA) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police conducted searches at the Kashmir Times office in Jammu on Thursday over allegations of involvement in anti-national activities. According to police, a case has been registered against the English daily — owned by Anuradha Bhasin Jamwal — for allegedly attempting to spread disaffection against the country and promoting a separatist narrative.
Sources said that investigators recovered 14 AK-47 cartridges, several pistol rounds, and three hand-grenade pins during the search operation. However, an official statement from the authorities is still awaited.
The latest action follows a similar move in October 2020, when the Srinagar office of Kashmir Times was sealed by local authorities.
Kashmir Times Calls Raids a ‘Crackdown on Press Freedom’
The management of Kashmir Times condemned the operation, describing it as an organised attempt to intimidate the newspaper and suppress independent journalism.
In a joint statement, Editors Prabodh Jamwal and Anuradha Bhasin said, “The reported raids on our office in Jammu, the baseless accusations of activities inimical to the state and the coordinated crackdown on the Kashmir Times are yet another attempt to silence us.”
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They added that critical journalism should not be equated with anti-national conduct.
“Criticising the government is not the same as being inimical to the state. A robust, questioning press is essential to a healthy democracy… Our work strengthens our nation, it does not weaken it,” the editors said.
The editors emphasised that the newspaper, founded in 1954 by Ved Bhasin, has a long record of maintaining editorial independence.
“We have chronicled the region’s triumphs and failures with equal rigour. We have given voice to communities that would otherwise go unheard. We have asked difficult questions when others remained silent,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, officials say the probe will continue as investigators examine material collected during the raid.
