SRINAGAR: The administration of Indian illegally occupied Kashmir has sealed the offices of a prominent English daily newspaper, Kashmir Times, according to the paper’s executive editor.
In a tweet, Anuradha Bhasin said that the IOK administration had sealed the Kashmir Times’ offices in Srinagar without any due process of cancellation and eviction.
She further said that she herself was evicted from her apartment, which was located in the Jammu region. “My valuables were handed over to the ‘new allottee'” by the Estates Department when I was evicted,” she added.
Today, Estates Deptt locked our office without any due process of cancellation & eviction, same way as I was evicted from a flat in Jammu, where my belongings including valuables were handed over to “new allottee”. Vendetta for speaking out! No due process followed. How peevish! pic.twitter.com/J5P0eKxvbx
— Anuradha Bhasin (@AnuradhaBhasin_) October 19, 2020
Talking to a private news channel, Anuradha Bhasin said, “There was no technical reason on which the office could have been sealed. However, it was due to me speaking up for press freedom. We are going to fight it.”
In this regard, officials of the Estates Department said that there were two buildings, one of which was the Kashmir Times’ office, while, another was allotted as a residence to Ved Bhasin sahib – father of Anuradha and the founding editor of Kashmir Times.
“Since Bhasin sahib died some years ago, we issued them notices to vacate the house. They themselves handed over the building to us and today our officials went to take possession,” the department’s deputy director said.
Anuradha Bhasin denied the claims made by Estates Department’s version. She said that the officials had simply locked their office without any prior notice.
Meanwhile, Kashmiri politicians and leaders condemned the closure of the offices. Mehbooba Mufti, former chief minister of occupied Kashmir, said, “Shutting down Bhasin’s office in Srinagar is straight out of BJP’s vendetta playbook to settle scores with those who dare to disagree.”
Anuradha was one of the few local newspaper editors in J&K who stood upto GOIs illegal & disruptive actions in the state. Shutting down her office in Srinagar is straight out of BJPs vendetta playbook to settle scores with those who dare to disagree https://t.co/yyZYlw4Me8
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) October 19, 2020
Kashmiri leader Omar Abdullah, in a tweet, said that the development explains why some of our ‘esteemed’ publications have decided to become government mouthpieces, printing only government press handouts.
This explains why some of our “esteemed” publications have decided to become Government mouthpieces, printing only government press handouts. The price of independent reportage is to be evicted without due process. https://t.co/Vs7nfWWd4h
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) October 19, 2020
