The dangers of being a journalist in Kashmir

Earlier this week, Kashmiri journalist Gowhar Geelani was charged by the police in Jammu and Kashmir for allegedly “indulging in unlawful activities through his posts and writings on social media”. This was just the latest in a slew of attacks unleashed against press freedom in Kashmir; reporter Peerzada Ashiq and photojournalist Masrat Zahra are also facing charges for their “factually incorrect” news story and “anti-national” social media posts respectively. Evidently, the facts mentioned in Ashiq’s story clearly did not go down well with the authorities since he highlighted a critical issue of one region reaping undue benefits at the cost of a marginalised region. Hence, the authorities were compelled to ‘fact check’ his journalistic piece, just like they monitor social media posts in the region to clamp down on any dissenting voices.

In Kashmir the establishment only wants its version of the truth to be covered by the media. Anything contrary to this results in journalists being hauled in for questioning and often being handed spurious charges. Evidently, as exemplified by the accusation levied against the above mentioned trio of journalists, the authorities in Kashmir wish to bully media outlets in the region into submission. These recent examples only show the never ending threat journalists in Kashmir have to face from the security agencies, and this danger is by no means a new one. The repeated harassment and questioning of journalists in Kashmir at the hands of security agencies serves as a reminder of the appalling conditions under which the media is being made to function in Kashmir.

Unsurprisingly, ever since India abrogated Article 370, incidents of journalists being thrashed or detained by the police have become commonplace. Amidst the constant surveillance and police brutality, the authorities are now resorting to hanging false charges around the necks of journalists in order to give the appearance that they are following the rule of law while trying to to stomp out any voices which deviate from the government ordained version of the truth. Although human rights bodies and press freedom organisations across the world continue to call attention to the plight of Kashmiri journalists and urge the state to not engage in such activities, it seems that these pleas are falling on deaf ears. Given that the majority of electronic media outlets in India are busy endorsing the growing narrative of anti-Muslim propaganda, these news channels are no longer interested in covering the on-ground realities and only wish to promote hate mongering through their panel discussions in an attempt to boost their ratings.

Moreover, the problems journalist in the region have to face are only exacerbated due to the limited internet access in Kashmir. After the abrogation Article 370, the Indian government moved swiftly to cut off internet access in Kashmir and plunge the region into a blackout. The state claims that it has engaged in such behaviour in an attempt to combat ‘fake news’ and prevent organised protests, but such actions only fuel resentment amongst the people. Evidently, the aim of blocking access to 4G and poor internet services in Jammu and Kashmir is a deliberate attempt to cut the region off from the rest of the world.

Hence, while the planet grapples with Covid-19 (a pandemic which Kashmir is woefully unprepared for), India is plagued by other problems like communal divides, shrinking press freedom, and draconian acts on part of the authorities to stamp out any and all dissent. On the contrary, journalists like Arnab Goswami are given an open platform from which they can espouse their prejudiced, discriminatory, and hateful views to the masses without facing any consequences from the government. In fact, when Goswami was allegedly attacked recently, the Press Council of India (PCI) asked the Maharashtra government to immediately investigate the matter and “apprehend the perpetrators of the crime and bring them to justice.” The PCI went on to state,

“Every citizen in the country, including a journalist, has the right to express their opinion which may not be palatable to many but this does not give anybody the authority to strangulate such a voice.”

Hence, if the PCI can come to the defence of Goswami then surely it can also issue a statement which highlights the plight of Kashmiri journalists who continue to be harassed by the authorities. But, evidently, press freedom is only afforded to those who conform to the state narrative. A free and fair media is in the national interest, and by failing to stand by those Kashmiris whose voices are being shut out by the state the PCI is failing the people of Kashmir and shirking its responsibilities. Yet, despite the constant restrictions, journalists in Kashmir continue to bravely do their job and seek out the truth, no matter what the cost.