MEDIA censorship by the Indian government has become a large issue in Kashmir, the government’s actions being unchecked in deciding what news should reach the Kashmir citizens. The freedom of the press and thus the citizens is under serious threat since the government has taken over the power to control every single news that goes out and ensure a positive narrative of the government remains intact. Although snippets of media censorship and control can be largely seen all across India, the most recent being the Hathras rape incident of a teen Dalit girl where the actions of the police and the insensitive statements made by several leaders were protected, the situation is grave in Kas-hmir. There, media censorship is done entirely in the open, with the government going after any journalist trying to publish anything against the government. In Kashmir, it is common to see journalists going to jail without any fair trial or providing any reason for their arrest. Due to this, the environment has become so hostile that the journalists live in fear. They are repeatedly summoned, intimated, and detained by the government without giving appropriate reasons.
They are continuously demotivated to write about real events through several unfair practices like shutting down their offices, arresting them by accusing them of fake news without even conducting a thorough trial or investigation and taking back the advertising support which helps a newspaper run its operations. One such event happened on October 20, 2020, when the J&K authorities sealed the Srinagar office of a prominent daily, the Kashmir Times. No appropriate reason was provided by the authorities. Kashmir Times has been the government’s target since Anuradha Bhasin, the editor of the newspaper, filed a petition in the Supreme Court to restore communication in J&K and remove the internet ban after GOI revoked the special status of J&K by the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019. This dilution of Article 370 happened in the freezing midnight with extra mobilization of troops, and stringent restrictions were put in place in the Kashmir valley to control any uprisings. This was followed by a complete ban on all communication, including the internet and even the landline. After the petition was filed to remove the ban, the Supreme Court took five months to decide on such an important matter.
