SIA raids Kashmir Times newspaper office over alleged anti-national activities

The newspaper has been accused of involving in “anti-national activities” and spreading disaffection against the country.

Srinagar: Jammu & Kashmir Police’s State Investigation Agency (SIA) on Thursday raided the Kashmir Times office in Jammu, alleging that the newspaper has been involved in “anti-national activities” and spreading disaffection against the country. 

The agency has also reportedly registered an FIR naming the paper’s Executive Editor Anuradha Bhasin in connection with the allegations.

Sources said the SIA teams entered the newspaper office early in the morning and conducted an extensive search aimed at examining Bhasin’s “alleged links and activities that threaten the sovereignty of India.” 

Witnesses said investigators scrutinised documents, computers and other digital devices.

“The officers were inside for a considerable time and checked multiple sections of the office,” reports said.

The action of the SIA, which has been spearheading the Union Territory administration’s crackdown on terror financing and separatist networks, is seen as its wider effort to ensure there is “no misuse of platforms to propagate seditious or separatist ideologies.”

One of oldest newspapers

Founded in 1954, Kashmir Times is one of the oldest English-language newspapers in Jammu and Kashmir. It built its reputation through the 1960s, 70s and 80s as one of the few publications with strong reporting from both Jammu and the Kashmir Valley, often taking editorial positions that challenged both the state government and New Delhi.

Its founding editor, Ved Bhasin, was among J&K’s most prominent public intellectuals. Known for his left-leaning ideology, Bhasin advocated dialogue and reconciliation between regions and communities and consistently opposed human rights violations.

Over the decades, he became one of the strongest media voices calling for a political resolution to the Kashmir conflict. He remained the guiding force of the newspaper until his death in 2015.

Anuradha Bhasin, currently the paper’s Executive Editor, has been a well-known journalist and commentator on conflict, human rights, and press freedom. She came into national focus after the 2019 abrogation of Article 370, when she petitioned the Supreme Court challenging the communication blackout imposed in Jammu and Kashmir.

The court’s ruling in her case reaffirmed that indefinite restrictions on the internet were unconstitutional.

In recent years, Kashmir Times has faced multiple administrative and legal challenges, including the sealing of its Srinagar office in 2020. Thursday’s SIA raid marks the most serious action yet against the newspaper and its editor.

Officials said further questioning and forensic analysis of seized material will follow as part of the investigation. The newspaper has not yet issued a formal statement on the raid.