J&K cops: ‘Credible evidence’ against journalists

Mir Hilal, Shah Abbas, Azhar Qadri and Showkat Motta have been questioned “on the basis of the evidences collected” during searches.

“All the above four persons were called for questioning and were allowed to go in the evening and have been directed to present themselves tomorrow again,” a police statement said.

In a joint statement, at least seven journalists bodies of Kashmir, including the Kashmir Press Club and the Journalist Federation of Kashmir, have termed the searches and questioning of the journalists “unfortunate”. “For the last few years, the pressure on journalists in Kashmir has mounted to unprecedented levels with dozens of incidents of attacks, harassment and intimidation by authorities that our colleagues have reported,” the statement said.

IGP Vijay Kumar denied this to be “an issue of harassing journalists” and stated that due process of law is being followed while investigating “a sensitive case”. He said those involved would be arrested in this case as and when the evidences are collected.