The Editors Guild of India and other press bodies have condemned the arrest of Kashmiri scribe Fahad Shah and demanded that he be released immediately.
In a statement on Sunday evening, the Editors Guild of India asked the authorities of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir to ensure that first information reports, intimidatory questioning, and wrongful detainment were not used as tools for suppressing press freedom.
Editors Guild of India Condemns Arrest of Kashmiri Journalist
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"Last month, security forces abetted some journalists in a coup of the Kashmir Press Club management, and then later on state authorities shut down the club completely, reverting the land back to the Estates Department", the Editors Guild said.
Letter by Editors Guild of India Demanding Immediate Release of Kashmiri Journalist
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Digipub News Indian Foundation, an association of several media bodies, also issued a statement saying that there is no indication that Shah was involved in anything remotely unlawful.
Tweet by Digipub News India Foundation
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"His house was broken into and at least three FIRs were filed previously against him but Shah resolutely continued his journalism, ensuring stories were balanced and quoted the government point of view as well", Digipub said in their statement.
Letter by Digipub News India Foundation Demanding Release of Kashmiri Journalist
© Photo : Twitter/@DigipubIndia
Shah, the editor-in-chief of the news portal The Kashmir Walla, was arrested on 4 February by the Jammu and Kashmir Police for allegedly posting "anti-national" content on social media.
The police stated that Shah uploaded the content with criminal intent and to create fear among the public and his posts could lead to social disturbances.
Two cases have already been already registered against Shah for allegedly glorifying terrorism, spreading fake news, and inciting the general public, the Kashmir Police had said on 5 February.
The press bodies also demanded the release of another journalist from The Kashmir Walla, Sajad Gul, who was detained under the Public Safety Act, a preventive detention law, on 16 January, a day after a court had given him bail in a criminal conspiracy case.
The journalist first was arrested on 6 January after he posted a video of family members and relatives of terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Salim Parray protesting against his death in a gunfight on the outskirts of Srinagar.
The video posted on his Twitter account on 3 January showed women shouting anti-government slogans during the protests.