A Srinagar-based news portal, The Kashmir Walla, on Sunday claimed that its website and social media handles have been barred from access in India by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under the IT Act, 2000.
“When we contacted our server provider on Saturday morning to ask why thekashmirwalla.com was inaccessible, they informed us that our website has been blocked in India by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under the IT Act, 2000. We discovered that our Facebook page – with nearly half a million followers – had been removed. As had our Twitter account, ‘in response to a legal demand’,” a statement issued by The Kashmir Walla said.
It said the organisation was not aware of the specifics of why its website has been blocked in India; why its Facebook page has been removed; and why its Twitter account has been withheld. “We have not been served any notice nor is there any official order regarding these actions that is in the public domain so far,” it said.
It said this opaque censorship is “gut-wrenching”. “There isn’t a lot left for us to say anymore. Since 2011, The Kashmir Walla has strived to remain an independent, credible, and courageous voice of the region in the face of unimaginable pressure from the authorities while we watched our being ripped apart, bit by bit,” it added.
Launched 12 years ago, the portal’s team said an eviction notice has also been served by the landlord of our office in Srinagar. Fahad Shah, founder and editor of the news portal, was arrested in February 2022 following a report regarding an encounter in Pulwama. He was later booked under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). At present, Mr. Shah remains behind bars under the Public Safety Act (PSA).
“For the past 18 months, we’ve lived a horrifying nightmare – with the arrest and imprisonment of our founder-editor, Fahad Shah, and the harassment of our reporters and staff, amid an already inhospitable climate for journalism in the region,” the statement said.
It said the J&K Police’s special wing, State Investigation Agency (SIA), seized most of the gadgets in a raid. “Reporters were interrogated and all documents were scrutinized. Since then, our interim editor has been summoned and questioned by the SIA multiple times,” it said.
Reacting to the development, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti said, “What a shame. One of the few portals that dared to speak truth to power stands silenced. Fahad Shah continues to be incarcerated for his truthful reportage highlighting ground realities in J&K. Only godi media parroting GOIs narrative and propaganda is allowed to function and flourish”.
