BRUSSELS: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has strongly condemned the raid carried out by Indian police on the Jammu office of the Kashmir Times, terming it another attempt by India to muzzle independent media in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
The raid, conducted on November 20 by the State Investigation Agency (SIA) — a specialised arm of the Indian police — targeted one of the territory’s last remaining independent newspapers. The SIA accused the outlet of promoting “anti-India ideology” and made ridiculous charges including the recovery of arms, ammunition, digital devices, and other materials during the operation.
The agency further levelled charges of “criminal conspiracy” with anti-India groups and “spreading inflammatory, fabricated and false narratives” — allegations widely seen as part of India’s ongoing campaign to suppress dissent in the occupied territory.
In a statement issued on November 20, the Kashmir Times editors rejected the accusations as “yet another attempt to silence us,” stressing that criticism of the Modi government was vital for any functioning democracy.
Journalists’ bodies across Azad Jammu and Kashmir denounced the raid. The Muzaffarabad Central Press Club (CPC) and the Capital Journalists Forum (CJF) said India had launched a “systematic campaign” to crush independent journalism by raiding, intimidating, and falsely implicating media workers and news outlets.
IFJ revealed that the newspaper’s editors were forced to shut down operations in 2019 due to growing state pressure and shrinking resources after India bifurcated the territory into two Union Territories. Government advertisements were halted and physical print editions suspended, pushing the outlet to move fully online in 2022.
The IFJ said it has repeatedly documented India’s censorship in IIOJK, including the closure of press clubs, blocking of websites and social media channels, forced registration of journalists, and relentless legal intimidation of media workers.
“The consistent state-led censorship in [occupied] Jammu and Kashmir continues to stifle press freedom and silence critical voices,” the IFJ said, urging India to uphold press freedoms guaranteed under its own constitution and end its persecution of independent journalism in the occupied territory.
