Srinagar/Kishtwar, 16 November, 2024: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has strongly condemned the Jammu and Kashmir government's threat of legal action against The Chenab Times following its video report on the detention of Rehamatullah, a Doda-based activist.
CPJ has called on the authorities to halt their harassment of journalists and uphold press freedom.
The controversy began after
The Chenab Times published a video on Facebook detailing the detention of Rehamatullah, an activist known for his advocacy on local civic and
environmental issues. Quoting his family, the report mentioned that he had been targeted for speaking out on civic matters.
However, the district administration stated that Rehamatullah was an “overground worker” (OGW) of militants, and the grounds for his detention were “totally different from what is being circulated on social media.”
Reacting to the video report, the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), the official public relations body of the Jammu and Kashmir government, issued a legal notice to The Chenab Times and warned that its coverage had 'prejudiced' the due process of law.
The letter accused the portal of misrepresenting the administrative actions and creating “possible law and order issues” by spreading “rumors” among the public.
“The tone and content of the report presented the administration’s actions in a negative light. The report had been skewed to favor the detained individual,” reads the letter.
The letter further claimed that by misinterpreting the situation, the report created confusion, which, according to the administration, could lead to unrest.
The Chenab region, where Rehamatullah hails from, has experienced
growing environmental concerns in recent years, including multiple hydroelectric dams, land subsidence, earthquakes, and tunnel excavation for railway and road projects.
This marks the first instance since the formation of an elected government in Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370 that media reporting has been formally contested.