Day after arrest, J&K journalist sent to 10-day police custody

Police said on Saturday that Shah was wanted in three cases for “glorifying terrorism, spreading fake news and inciting general public for creating law and order situations”. He was arrested after being called in for questioning on Tuesday and again on Friday.

Shah’s counsel Umair Rhonga said he has moved the court of the Pulwama chief judicial magistrate for bail. “We have also sought clarity on the charges against him in the same court, and police have been directed to file a report about this by Monday,” he said.

The journalist was arrested on Friday for social media posts “tantamount to glorifying terrorist activities and causing dent to the image of law enforcing agencies, besides causing ill-will and disaffection against the country”, according to police. Shah is the editor-in-chief of the online news magazine, ‘thekashmirwalla’.

According to a statement issued by district police in Pulwama, “Some Facebook users and portals have been uploading anti-national content including photographs, videos and posts with criminal intention to create fear among the public, and the content so uploaded can provoke the public to disturb law and order.”

In May last year, Shah was called in twice for questioning by police, reportedly regarding the reporting in his digital news magazine of an encounter in the Nawakadal area of Srinagar. Several residential buildings were damaged during the course of the encounter, and police had accused Shah of “defaming” them.

In a separate case, an FIR was filed by the Army in Shopian against two news portals, including ‘thekashmirwalla’ in January last year, after a report alleged that a local Army unit was “forcing an Islamic seminary school to hold Republic Day celebrations on January 26”. Another FIR was filed this week after Shah’s news portal published a report quoting family members of an alleged militant who was killed.