---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: 'Lena Ganesh' via Citizen-Mumbai <[email protected]> Date: Sat, 16 Jul 2016 09:36:42 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [Citizen-Mumbai] Fw: gagging Kashmir press To: Citizens Mumbai <[email protected]>
apologies for cross-posting ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Anuradha Bhasin <[email protected]> To: Sent: Saturday, 16 July 2016 2:13 PM Subject: gagging Kashmir press Kindly circulate: Shocking! Police raid newspaper bureaus, detain employees, seize copiesSRINAGAR: Two of Kashmir’s leading newspapers said that Jammu and Kashmirpolice raided their office on Saturday night, seized their printed copies andarrested their employees – a clear act of choking and gagging media incrisis-hit Kashmir valley.According to Kashmir Times, over 20 policeman raided its office at Rangretharea in Srinagar outskirts at midnight and arrested its printing press foreman FayazAhmed and ten other employees.“The Policemen seized the metallic printing plates of Kashmir Times and morethan 70,000 printed copies of Kashmir Times and closed down the K T Press PvtLtd printing press,” the newspaper said.“Cops misbehaved with the employees present there and snatched their cellphones. The employees who tried to resist were beaten up by the policemen,” thenewspaper said.Another leading newspaper, also said that police raided its printing pressat 2 am,seized its printed copies at midnight and detained persons.Police also seized copies of another leader English daily Rising Kashmirearly this morning and raided its press at Sheikhpora (Budgam).“A police party from Budgam police raided the press to seize the copies ofRising Kashmir and other publications,” the newspaper claimed. “As the staffhad left after printing the copies, police took into custody all the employeesincluding its Foreman Mohammad Yousuf and asked him to identify thedistribution site.”They later reached Press Enclave and seized the vehicle alongwith thedriver. “They caught hold of me in Press Enclave and asked me to follow them topolice station” said Irshad Khan, the driver.The staff was later taken to Police Post Humhama where they seized all thecopies of the newspaper. “The staff of the press was let off later on but onlyafter being harassed and intimidated,” the newspaper said.The employees were to go on their own to their offices and press on footwhen no transport was plying operating on the road and security personnel werenot allowing people to move in view of severe curfew restrictions.The government has already suspended mobile internet and telephony servicesacross Kashmir valley.At least 41 persons have died in Kashmir valley since July 9 when widespreadprotests and clashes which erupted after the killing of top militant commanderBurhan Wani.It is pertinent to point that in 2010 and 2013, valley based newspapers werenot allowed to be published by placing severe restrictions on their movementand movement of their vehicles. The newspapers were seized and not allowed tobe a circulated and media persons were not issued curfew passes. Similar methods of intimidating and gagging the press have been employed bythe government and its security agencies in the last two and a half decades. In 2010, the central government arbitrarily stopped the release of DAVP advertisementsof Kashmir Times and six other publications, following a letter circulated bythe union home ministry to the department. Till date, Kashmir Times is the onlynewspaper which continues to be denied advertisements, which is the main sourceof revenue. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
