In another attempt to stifle the press freedom, the authorities in India-occupied Kashmir have sealed the office of Kashmir Times, one of the oldest newspapers in the occupied region, for “speaking out” against the government.
The Estates Department sealed the office, which is located in the press enclave in the main city Srinagar. The move prompted a strong response from the editor of the newspaper, who termed it a vendetta.
Anuradha Bhasin said the government’s action was a “vendetta for speaking out” while noting that no process of law was followed. “No eviction notice was served on us and neither was there any formal communication,” the Press Trust of India quoted her as saying.
On her Twitter handle, she wrote: “Today, Estates Dept locked our office without any due process of cancellation & eviction, same way as I was evicted from a flat in Jammu, where my belongings including valuables were handed over to ‘new allottee.’ Vendetta for speaking out! No due process followed. How peevish!”
Reporters without Borders (RSF) termed the act an attack on press freedom.
“The office of The Kashmir Times, one of the most respected newspapers of the region, has just been sealed by the local govt after its editor AnuradhaBhasin was recently manhandled. @RSF_inter is appalled by this new attack on press freedom in the valley,” it said.
