India Kashmir Dispute : Newspapers Raided by Police

Srinagar, Indian-held Kashmir, 12 Syawal 1437/17 July 2016 (MINA) – Several leading newspapers in Indian-administered Kashmir say they have been have been raided by police seeking to end a week of violent protests, bbc.com reported.

Police seized printing plates and thousands of editions overnight on Friday. Cable television is also reported to have been shut down.

More than 40 people have died in recent clashes in the area.

The crisis was sparked by the killing of a prominent separatist militant, Burhan Wani.

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More than 1,500 others have also been injured in fighting between protesters and the security forces.

A curfew remains in place – along with curbs on mobile and internet access.

“The clamp-down was necessitated as Pakistani channels that are beamed here through cable television network have launched a campaign aimed at fomenting trouble here,” an unnamed Jammu and Kashmir government minister told the Reuters news agency.

“Some newspapers were also sensationalising the violence… We will take a decision on [their] restoration after 19 July.”

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The Greater Kashmir, Rising Kashmir and the Kashmir Observer, are among the titles who said they were affected.

Abdul Rashid Mukhdoomi, printer and publisher of the Greater Kashmir, said that there were no orders “under which the printing and circulation of our newspapers were stopped”. (T/R07/R01)

 IslamicMi’raj News Agency (MINA)

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