People’s Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR) condemns the recent raids and attack on Kashmir Times, one of the oldest news organizations of Jammu and Kashmir. Reportedly, the eleven hours raid conducted by the Special Investigation Agency (SIA) in the Jammu head office of the news organization, on November 20, 2025, led to recoveries of arms and ammunition. In pursuance of this investigation, the SIA also raided the Jammu residence of the owner of the media house, Prabodh Jamwal.
The raids were reportedly preceded by the registration of an FIR (2/2025) u/s 13 of the UAPA against the editor, Anuradha Bhasin, for allegedly using the news portal for “dissemination of terrorist and secessionist ideology”, “spreading inflammatory, fabricated and false narratives”, “challenging the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India through their print and digital content”, and other such activities. Following the raids, the SIA’s reported release noted that the investigations are ongoing, suggesting that further legal or state action may be taken against the organization.
It is necessary to question this state narrative as the editors have neither been informed nor given access to the FIR filed against them. Since the physical office in Jammu city has remained shut for years, the purported recoveries raise questions. In a statement issued on the day of the raids, the editors of Kashmir Times stated that they were not officially informed about the raids and recoveries and that the disused Jammu premises contained only old computers and archival materials of the news outlet. Calling these actions ‘bizarre’ and ‘baseless’, Kashmir Times noted that their reporting, while critical of the government, was “not the same as being inimical to the state” (KT, November 20, 2025).
Over a period of time, Kashmir Times has played a decisive role in chronicling the region’s history. Repeatedly it has built its credentials by refusing to be the establishment’s voice. Not just that, editor Anuradha Bhasin successfully challenged the communication blackout following the abrogation of Art. 370 in a landmark case wherein the Supreme Court, in 2020, upheld internet access under Article 19 of the Constitution, subject to the restrictions mandated in the provision. In just the same year, the Srinagar office of the 70-year-old Kashmir Times was sealed under the orders of the Estates Department, and the action was taken without “advance notice or legal documentation”. In August 2025, Bhasin’s book, A Dismantled State, was banned along with 24 other books at the behest of the Lt. Governor under S. 98 of the BNSS. The timing of the raids and the purported recoveries will clearly intensify the continued targeting of Kashmir Times.
The gagging of Kashmir Times fits in with the wider state pattern of controlling media outlets in Jammu and Kashmir through the use of vague and broad penal provisions such as Section 13 UAPA (punishment for unlawful activities) or for that matter the newly introduced Section 152 BNS (punishment for acts endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India). The recovery of such “incriminating evidence” from news organizations critical of the government, is not a new tactic. On October 31, 2025, the Directorate of Information instructed the District Information Officers (DIO) to verify journalists and news content creators in a bid to prevent misuse of the media. Broadly described as the “chilling effect”, the directives appear to have crystallized the informal monitoring of journalist practices into a threateningly formal and legal one (KT, November 7, 2025). The use of UAPA and other such laws serves as a severe warning to all those who wish to speak out or as in this case carry out professional journalistic work.
Keeping in mind the controversial history of detentions and arrests of individual journalists since 2018 under PSA and UAPA, often in multiple cases, the nature of state control over the media may well explain the recent raids on Kashmir Times. But this history raises serious questions about the lack of the freedom of the press in Kashmir.
- If, as reported, the FIR registered against Kashmir Times suggests that the media house is guilty of disseminating “terrorist and secessionist ideology”, then it should be clarified by the State how “dissemination” of any event or ideology would be differentiated from mere reportage of it. Such arbitrary logic could cross-contextually apply to all press agencies, damaging all forms of news reporting.
- If the purported recovery of arms and ammunition from a disused media building is true, then all media outlets and other establishments run similar unknowing risks as buildings can be used as potential dump yards.
- The SIA’s role in the present case serves as a reminder of the growing executive writ in the UT since 2021 when this specialized agency was created for “speedy and effective investigation of terrorism related cases”, in coordination with the NIA and other central agencies. The SIA can suo moto register FIRs for cases perceived as linked to terrorism, including journalistic activities.
The lodging of the FIR and purported recoveries made against Kashmir Times are not isolated instances. They are part of an ongoing state narrative against the larger freedom of the press which must be strongly contested.
Harish Dhawan and Paramjeet Singh
(Secretaries)
pudr@pudr.org
