'Any story could be your last' - India's crackdown on Kashmir press

On 5 April 2022 a consciousness of joyousness pervaded the Sultan household successful Batamaloo successful cardinal Srinagar.

It was a sunny outpouring time successful Indian-administered Kashmir, and aft much than 3 and a fractional years of visits to courts and constabulary stations, they had received bully quality - Asif Sultan, a journalist, husband, begetter and son, had been granted bail.

Relatives gathered waiting for him to instrumentality home. When hours turned to days, Asif's household began to get anxious.

On 10 April, different complaint was brought against Asif. He wasn't released and was moved to a jailhouse extracurricular Kashmir, making visits difficult.

"We are devastated but volition support warring successful court. Everyone knows he's guiltless truthful we volition triumph eventually," his begetter Mohammad Sultan said. His five-year-old granddaughter Areeba ran into the country and sat connected his thigh - she was six months aged erstwhile her begetter was arrested.

Asif Sultan was archetypal charged with aiding militancy successful Muslim-majority Kashmir, which has seen an equipped insurgency against Indian regularisation since 1989.

He is charged nether an anti-terror instrumentality called the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) successful which it's highly hard to get bail. The 2nd complaint against him is nether different arguable instrumentality - the Public Safety Act (PSA) - which allows detention without complaint for up to 2 years.

Mohammad Sultan rejects the accusations. He believes Asif was targeted for his work, successful peculiar an nonfiction astir an anti-India militant that Asif wrote a period earlier helium was arrested successful August 2018.

"Asif is simply a nonrecreational newsman and helium has been jailed for penning astir the militancy. He has thing to bash with them [militants]," says his father. "They [the government] wanted to marque an illustration retired of him truthful that nary 1 dares to screen topics the authorities doesn't o.k. of."

The BBC has spent much than a twelvemonth investigating accusations against the Indian authorities that it is moving a sinister and systematic run to intimidate and soundlessness the property successful the region. We had to conscionable journalists successful secret, and they asked for their names to beryllium hidden, fearing reprisals.

Over galore trips we spoke to much than 2 twelve journalists - editors, reporters and photojournalists moving independently arsenic good arsenic for determination and nationalist outlets - each of whom spot the government's actions arsenic a informing to them.

Asif has present spent 5 years successful jail. Since 2017, astatine slightest 7 different Kashmiri journalists person been jailed. Four, including Asif, are inactive down bars.

Fahad Shah, who edited a integer magazine, was arrested nether anti-terror laws successful February 2022, accused of "propagating terror".

A period earlier him, freelance writer Sajad Gul was arrested soon aft helium posted a video connected societal media of locals shouting anti-India slogans. Sajad was charged with transgression conspiracy. Both person been re-arrested nether caller charges, each clip they person been granted bail.

The latest writer apprehension was successful March this year. Irfan Meraj, whose enactment has appeared successful planetary outlets, is accused of having links with panic funding.

Many others from the property person had cases registered against them.

The BBC has repeatedly asked the determination medication and constabulary to respond to the allegations against them. We person sought interviews and besides sent emails with circumstantial questions. We person not received a reply.

At the G20 gathering successful Srinagar successful May we asked Manoj Sinha, the region's apical administrator, astir allegations of a media crackdown. He said the property "enjoys implicit freedom". Journalists were "detained and arrested connected panic charges and for attempts to disrupt societal harmony, not for journalism oregon for penning stories," helium said.

We person heard aggregate accounts which belie the claims.

"It's precise communal for a writer to beryllium summoned by the constabulary here. And dozens of instances wherever reporters person been detained implicit their quality reports," 1 newsman told me.

"I started getting calls from the constabulary astir a communicative I did. They kept asking wherefore I'd done it. Then I was questioned successful person. They said they cognize everything astir maine and my household which was precise scary. I kept reasoning astir whether I would beryllium arrested oregon harmed physically."

More than 90% of the journalists I spoke to said they had been summoned by the constabulary astatine slightest once, galore of them aggregate times implicit a story. Some said the code of the constabulary was polite. Others said they were met with choler and threats.

"We unrecorded successful fearfulness that immoderate communicative could beryllium our past story. And past you'd beryllium successful jail," 1 writer said.

"Journalism is dormant and buried successful Kashmir," different newsman told me.

Each of the journalists I spoke to said they had been called by the constabulary galore times implicit the past fewer years for "routine inheritance checks".

I was witnesser to 1 specified telephone call.

The writer I was with got a telephone from the section constabulary station. They enactment their telephone connected speaker. The constabulary serviceman introduced himself and asked the writer their name, code and wherever they worked.

When the writer asked wherefore these details were needed, the officer's code remained affable but helium proceeded to work retired details of the writer and their family, including what their parents do, wherever they live, wherever their siblings survey and work, what degrees their siblings person and the sanction of the concern that 1 of their siblings runs.

I asked the writer however they felt aft that call.

'It's worrying," they said. "I'm reasoning present are they watching me, are they watching my family, what triggered this telephone telephone and what's going to hap next?"

Other journalists said they person been asked adjacent much idiosyncratic details including what spot they own, what slope accounts they have, what their spiritual and governmental beliefs are.

"Journalists successful Kashmir are being treated similar criminals. We're labelled arsenic anti-nationals, panic sympathisers, and pro-Pakistan reporters. They don't recognize that it's our occupation to bespeak each sides," 1 writer said.

All of the Kashmir portion is disputed by India and Pakistan, and some countries arsenic good arsenic China power parts of it. Militant groups operating successful Indian-administered Kashmir are based successful Pakistan and are agelong believed to person the enactment of Pakistan's quality services, an allegation Islamabad firmly rejects.

There person besides agelong been accusations of quality rights violations by Indian information forces successful Kashmir, which person fuelled choler against Indian regularisation and enactment for pro-Pakistan insurgent groups successful immoderate parts of the region.

Journalists accidental the Indian authorities is trying to unopen down reporting related to separatist movements and militant groups, but besides immoderate sum captious of the information forces oregon the administration, adjacent connected day-to-day civic issues.

Most journalists I spoke to said they began to consciousness much scrutiny aft Asif Sultan's apprehension successful 2018, and things person go drastically much hard since August 2019. That's erstwhile India revoked the region's peculiar presumption and divided the country's lone Muslim bulk authorities into 2 territories which are present controlled by the nationalist authorities led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Supreme Court of India is presently proceeding a lawsuit astir the legality of these moves.

For 5 years now, determination has been nary elected determination authorities here. And erstwhile the main justness asked the authorities this week erstwhile elections would beryllium held, noting that "restoration of ideology is important", the authorities said it could not springiness an nonstop timeline.

"Because there's nary elected typical we tin approach, the authorities gets distant with acting with impunity," a writer said.

At slightest 4 Kashmiri journalists person made nationalist that they were stopped from flying retired of India, their boarding passes stamped "cancelled" by migration authorities with nary reasons given. One is simply a Pulitzer Prize-winning lensman who couldn't be the awards ceremony.

The BBC has learnt that the database of Kashmiri journalists not allowed to permission India has dozens of names, but it's not been made public. We asked the constabulary astir the ineligible ground for these "look retired circulars", arsenic they are referred to successful authoritative parlance, and person not received a reply.

Journalists person besides had caller passports withheld erstwhile they applied to renew expired passports. In caller weeks, passports antecedently issued to immoderate journalists person besides been cancelled. Communication from the authorities says the journalists are considered a "security threat" to India.

"We consciousness choked and suffocated," 1 writer said. "All of america are self-censoring. I work my study erstwhile arsenic a journalist, past I work it similar a policeman would and I commencement deleting things and watering it down. There's hardly immoderate journalism being done, it's mostly conscionable PR for the government."

Editors person told america they often get directions from the medication connected what to screen and what to permission out. They person been instructed to usage the connection "terrorist" alternatively of "militant" erstwhile referring to equipped insurgents.

Regional media outlets beryllium heavy connected authorities advertizing and galore person been threatened with the withdrawal of these funds if they don't autumn successful line.

"I hatred what I bash each day, but what astir the radical I employ? What happens to them if I unopen down?" 1 exertion said.

What's happened to journalism present is evident erstwhile you work the section press.

I spent 3 days comparing dozens of papers published successful Kashmir with the regular authorities property release.

Nearly each had the merchandise connected their beforehand pages, immoderate had edited it, others carried it verbatim.

The remainder of the beforehand pages were covered with statements from the authorities oregon information forces. There were galore diagnostic stories but hardly immoderate journalism holding the authorities to account.

In mean circumstances, journalists from each outlets would person been successful Pulwama speaking to each sides connected the crushed to verify details and filing reports.

The time after, lone a fistful of papers carried the story, astir each reporting it done a punctuation from determination person Mehbooba Mufti, who called for an investigation.

Over the adjacent fewer days, much papers carried it, but lone arsenic a communicative astir the Indian service investigating the incident. There was hardly immoderate on-the-ground reporting.

While astir journalists I spoke to said they fearfulness reprisals by the state, immoderate besides said they consciousness nether menace from militants.

There person been instances of militant groups posting statements connected their websites threatening journalists.

I spoke to 1 writer who received a threat.

"A journalist's beingness successful Kashmir is similar walking connected a razor's edge. You unrecorded successful fearfulness each the time," helium said.

What are you acrophobic of, I asked.

"Of a slug coming astatine me. When I spot a motorcycle halt adjacent to me, I consciousness terrified that idiosyncratic is going to propulsion retired a weapon and sprout me, and that nary 1 volition ever find retired who did it," helium said.

In 2018, starring exertion Shujaat Bukhari was changeable dormant extracurricular his Srinagar office, constabulary accidental by militants. Five years aboriginal the proceedings into his sidesplitting is yet to begin.

In a portion ridden by conflict, 1 abstraction wherever journalists could conscionable freely, sermon stories and stock their anxieties was the Kashmir Press Club successful cardinal Srinagar. It was a refuge particularly for autarkic journalists who don't person offices.

But it wasn't conscionable that. It was besides the main assemblage successful the portion that defended the rights and state of the press.

Last year, the authorities unopen it down. The analyzable I've visited truthful often to get invaluable section penetration into stories, present houses a constabulary office.

Journalists accidental they person obscurity to crook to erstwhile they consciousness threatened.

Foreign journalists request Ministry of Home Affairs support to sojourn Kashmir, and they are seldom fixed it. The G20 lawsuit successful May was the archetypal clip successful the past fewer years overseas journalists had been allowed to sojourn Srinagar, but the entree was highly controlled - defining which areas they could sojourn and what they could cover.

Over the past decade, each of India has witnessed a superior diminution successful property freedom, which is reflected successful planetary rankings, cases against journalists and raids against media houses. But the grade of the diminution successful Kashmir is utmost - we person recovered grounds that property state has been each but eroded here.

In the Sultan household, a transcript of Kashmir Narrator, the mag Asif Sultan utilized to constitute for, takes pridefulness of spot connected a support successful the surviving room.

His begetter opened the well-thumbed mag and pointed to Asif's photograph successful a byline. Mohammad asked his granddaughter who the idiosyncratic successful the representation was.

"My Papa. He is successful jail," Areeba replied.

Mohammad hopes Asif is released earlier Areeba gets to an property wherever she registers what has happened to her father.

"I'm getting old," helium said. "But I'm trying to beryllium some a begetter and gramps to her. How agelong tin I bash this for?"