Kashmiri journalists face mounting harassment
Summonses, surveillance and coercive policing deepen fears for press freedom in Indian-administered Kashmir, journalists and rights advocates warn
SRINAGAR, Kashmir (MNTV) — A fresh wave of police summonses issued to journalists in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir has triggered renewed concern over what reporters describe as systematic intimidation and surveillance aimed at suppressing independent coverage in the region.
This week, The Indian Express reported that its Srinagar-based assistant editor Bashaarat Masood was repeatedly summoned to a cybercrime unit and asked to sign a preventive bond committing him to “good behavior.”
Masood, who has reported from Kashmir for two decades, declined to sign the document. The newspaper said police did not formally specify the grounds for the summons but indicated it followed his reporting.
In a separate case, Hindustan Times said its Kashmir correspondent Ashiq Hussain also received an oral summons. The paper sought a written notice outlining the legal basis for the action before responding.
Journalists’ groups say at least five reporters from national media outlets were summoned over the same period, alongside one journalist working for a regional publication.
Media representatives have linked the questioning to reporting on a police exercise involving the monitoring and documentation of mosques, a subject that has drawn heightened official sensitivity.
Press bodies warned that journalists were advised by security officials to avoid further coverage of the issue, with some told the instructions had come from senior authorities. They described the summonses as intimidation rather than routine law-enforcement engagement.
According to independent news outlet Newslaundry, the recent summonses reflect a broader pattern of pressure that has intensified over the past year. Journalists operating in the region said that roughly two dozen Kashmiri reporters — particularly freelancers — have faced repeated questioning, threats and indirect punishment for their work.
Several journalists said the escalation has gone largely unnoticed until now because the most recent cases involved prominent reporters from national newsrooms. Freelancers, they said, often face harsher consequences with fewer institutional protections.
Journalists interviewed described an environment of fear that has deepened since sweeping constitutional changes imposed by the Narendra Modi government in August 2019. They said prolonged detention, travel restrictions, repeated police visits and informal blacklisting have forced many reporters into self-censorship or driven them out of the profession entirely.
One freelance journalist recounted being summoned repeatedly for so-called “verification” checks, during which police confiscated his phone, photographed him, restricted communication, and demanded extensive personal, financial and professional details.
He said he was held for hours over several days without being informed of any offense and released without explanation.
Another journalist working for an international media organization said respected reporters were increasingly treated as criminal suspects. “We are summoned, humiliated and pressured to sign ‘good behavior’ commitments as if we pose a threat to public order,” the journalist said.
Press freedom advocates note that since the revocation of the region’s semi-autonomous status and the introduction of a restrictive media policy in 2020, more than 100 journalists in Kashmir have reportedly been summoned by authorities over their reporting.
Concerns have also been raised about raids on media organizations. In November 2025, security agencies searched the Jammu office of Kashmir Times, citing allegations of unlawful activities.
The paper’s editor Anuradha Bhasin rejected the claims, describing the action as an attempt to silence independent journalism. The publication has operated digitally since suspending its print edition after sustained official pressure.
Media watchdogs warn that the cumulative impact of surveillance, summonses, and personal data collection is eroding press freedom in the region and undermining the public’s right to information, turning routine reporting into a high-risk activity for journalists working in Kashmir.
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