Kashmir journalist faces police action after investigative reporting
Police action against senior reporter Jehangir Ali adds to pattern of surveillance and intimidation in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir
SRINAGAR, Kashmir (MNTV) — Police in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir have seized the mobile phone of a senior journalist without presenting a warrant or case details, in an incident that has renewed concerns over press freedom and the safety of reporters working in the region.
Jehangir Ali, a journalist affiliated with an independent news portal The Wire, was visited by police officers from Budgam district at his residence on Wednesday evening.
According to a statement issued by The Wire on Thursday, officers entered Ali’s home and confiscated his phone without citing any first information report, court order, or legal basis for the seizure.
The statement said the police also failed to follow established safeguards for handling electronic devices, including providing the device’s hash value — a digital fingerprint used to ensure data integrity while equipment remains in official custody. Such procedures have been emphasized by India’s Supreme Court to prevent tampering or unauthorized access to seized digital material.
Ali has reported extensively on governance and rights issues in the region. The Wire said the seizure occurred shortly after his reporting on alleged corruption and nepotism linked to the Ratle hydropower project in Kishtwar district. At the time of the police visit, the journalist was reportedly working on another investigative report related to the same project.
Political leaders and media observers linked the action to Ali’s reporting. Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti described the seizure as illegal and warned that journalism in the region was being narrowed to voices aligned with official narratives, writing on social media platform X that independent reporting was increasingly being targeted.
Press freedom advocates note that journalists in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir have faced years of intensified scrutiny, including raids, questioning, surveillance, and the seizure of electronic devices. While authorities rarely issue public explanations, such actions are seen by watchdogs as contributing to a climate of fear that discourages investigative reporting.
India has repeatedly stated that press freedom is protected under law, but rights groups argue that the use of police powers and digital seizures without transparency undermines those protections, particularly in conflict-sensitive regions like Kashmir.
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