Kashmir Times targeted for dissent, Say Editors after SIA raid

One of Jammu and Kashmir’s oldest and most storied newspapers, The Kashmir Times, found itself at the centre of an unprecedented crackdown this week after the Special Investigation Agency (SIA) of the J&K Police raided its Jammu offices and said it had recovered arms and ammunition during the search.

The action — the first of its kind against the daily — comes amid sweeping charges of “disseminating terrorist and secessionist ideology” and “challenging the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India through print and digital content.”

The SIA said November 21 that the alleged recoveries point to “suspected linkages with extremist or anti-national elements” and that further investigation had been launched. The residence of the newspaper’s owner, Prabodh Jamwal, in Jammu was also searched.

The raids triggered shockwaves not just within Kashmir’s journalistic fraternity but also among political leaders and civil society groups, who warned that dissent and critical journalism were increasingly being criminalised.

A legacy of dissent comes under force

Founded 70 years ago by renowned editor Ved Bhasin, The Kashmir Times began as a weekly in 1954 after Bhasin’s previous publication, the Urdu weekly Naya Samaj, was banned under the Defence of India Rules for its writings against “an authoritarian regime”. In a nostalgic article published just last month, the newspaper recounted that decisive moment in its founder’s struggle to establish an independent voice in Jammu and Kashmir.

Over the decades, the newspaper transformed into a leading English daily with circulation across Jammu and the Valley, eventually expanding into group publications including a Hindi and Dogri daily and a children’s magazine. After Bhasin’s death in 2015, his daughter, journalist Anuradha Bhasin, took over as Executive Editor.

A pattern of pressure

The recent raids are not the first state action targeting the publication. In October 2020, the J&K Estates Department sealed the newspaper’s Srinagar office in Press Enclave, which had been allotted to the paper in the early 1990s. In June this year, Anuradha Bhasin’s book A Dismantled State: The Untold Story of Kashmir — chronicling the aftermath of the abrogation of Article 370 — was among several titles banned by the J&K administration.

Bhasin has been one of the most outspoken journalists advocating press freedom in the region. In 2019, she moved the Supreme Court against prolonged internet shutdowns in Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370, arguing that restrictions had created a chilling effect on free speech. The apex court later underscored that “responsible governments are required to respect the freedom of the press at all times.”

Editors call allegations “unfounded”

Responding to November 20 raids, Anuradha Bhasin and Prabodh Jamwal — who now live outside the country — dismissed the charges as “unfounded” and said the operation was “an attempt to silence” critical voices.

In recent weeks, the now-digital publication has carried opinion pieces critical of the demolition of the house of an accused in the Red Fort blast case and what writers described as increasing “targeting” of Kashmiris — including a column by Bhasin herself.

Political backlash and a warning for press freedom

Hurriyat Conference chairperson Mirwaiz Umar Farooq condemned the move, saying press freedom had become “a target of authorities” and that every dissenting voice was being labelled “anti-national” and “a threat.” Leaders of the National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party echoed the criticism, calling the raids a clear attempt to intimidate the media.

The crackdown on The Kashmir Times comes after previous actions against other Kashmiri news platforms. In 2016, Kashmir Reader was banned for being a “threat to public tranquillity.” Later, offices of Greater Kashmir were searched in a case alleging funds raised “under the guise of charitable activities” were used to support separatist operations.

Digital survival amid shrinking space

After Covid-19 and financial setbacks, coupled with a shrinking print readership in the Valley, The Kashmir Times suspended print operations in November 2023 and shifted entirely to a digital format.

As legal probes intensify and political temperature rises, November 20 SIA raids have amplified fears about shrinking space for critical journalism in Jammu and Kashmir — and revived a broader debate over the fragility of press freedoms in conflict regions.