20/11/2025
SIA Raids Kashmir Times Office in Jammu, FIR Filed Against Editor Anuradha Bhasin
The Jammu and Kashmir Police’s State Investigation Agency (SIA) on Thursday conducted searches at the Jammu head office of Kashmir Times. According to officials cited in media reports, an FIR has been registered against Managing Editor Anuradha Bhasin for allegedly publishing material deemed harmful to national sovereignty and public order. Documents and digital devices were examined during the early-morning raid, with local police assisting by securing the perimeter.
The action comes years after the newspaper’s Srinagar office among the oldest in Jammu and Kashmir was sealed in 2020, a move that had drawn widespread criticism from journalists. Bhasin had then described the sealing as a “targeted” action carried out without due process or prior notice.
A vocal critic of government policies in Kashmir, Bhasin has long highlighted the clampdown on civil liberties in the region. After the August 5, 2019 abrogation of Article 370 and the ensuing communication blackout, she approached the Supreme Court seeking restoration of internet and phone services to safeguard press freedom—prompting the court to direct the government to ease restrictions.
More recently, following the Pahalgam attack, Bhasin wrote on the need for political accountability alongside security measures, arguing that militancy cannot be tackled through military means alone but by strengthening peace efforts, outreach to Kashmiris, and regional diplomatic engagement.
Kashmir Times has not yet issued an official statement on the latest police action.