Freedom of press compromised in Kashmir

Shedding light on the pathetic state of press freedoms in Kashmir at present, RAJA MUZAFFAR BHAT goes over the recent history of curbs on journalists in Kashmir, and expresses concern over the future of the practice of journalism in Kashmir.

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THE Press wields immense power in a democratic society. It forms opinions, shapes movements and controls policies through well-informed criticism. The English writer Charles Dickens, in one of his books, called the press a "mighty engine". The influence of the press is so great that it is also called the 'Fourth Estate'. The French military leader Napoleon used to say — "Your hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets."

An independent, well-informed press is a powerful check on arbitrary governments and irresponsible administrators. Upright journalists are agents of the public, who bring to the notice of the people acts of injustice or oppression or mal-administration that would otherwise have remained hidden away from public knowledge. Independent journalism exercises a constant vigilance on those at the helm.

A free press is the symbol of free people.

My columns, articles and reportage over the last 15 years (including on The Leaflet) have been focussed on themes such as good governance, the right to information, climate change, forest rights, and the non-implementation of centrally sponsored schemes like the Pradhan Mantri (PM) Awas Yojana, the PM Ujjwala Yojana, the PM Gram Sadak Yojana, among other things. I hardly write any commentary on the political developments in Jammu and Kashmir, yet successive governments in the region have expressed annoyance with my positive criticism.

I write this piece under the apprehension that authorities in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will get provoked by what I am writing, and might even seek reprisal like how I was detained for three months immediately after Article 370 of the Indian Constitution was effectively nullified in 2019.