J&K police condemn BBC for misleading report, warn of action for misreporting

Jammu and Kashmir’s police have objected to an article published by the BBC on Friday titled “Any story could be your last – India’s crackdown on Kashmir Press” written by Yogita Limaye.

A recent report by BBC on the political landscape in Kashmir has sparked a heated debate in India. Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) police warned the media house of action ‘False Reporting’ case against BBC to the Special Investigation Agency (SIA) Unit.

“The article unfairly castigates efforts of J&K Police in maintaining law and order and security in J&K as biased against journalists. J&K Police maintains the highest standards of professionalism and functions squarely within the ambit of the law. It is pertinent to mention that one of the cases mentioned in the article – that of Fahad Shah is one where a trial is already ongoing against the accused Fahad Shah and the court has already framed charges against him under the UAPA for providing terror sympathisers a platform for advocating terrorism through publishing inflammatory and secessionist articles on its online magazine Kashmir Walla,” police said in a statement on X.

It further said that while the actions of J&K police have stood the test of law and judiciary and changed the security environment in the UT immensely, the article of the author Ms Limaye follows an unabashedly biased line referring to UT of Jammu and Kashmir as India Occupied Kashmir, placing quotes of unidentified journalists in her article to bolster her non-existent claims of state overreach against journalists and mentioning instances without particulars of date and place.

J&K Police condemns the attempt of a media house such as the BBC to misrepresent the conditions in J&K in which the police has stood firmly on the front lines in the war against terror and lost thousands of its bravest men in an attempt to safeguard the people of J&K, it added.

“Special Investigation Agency, J&K Police which is the investigating agency in the Fahad Shah case reserves the right to initiate further legal action against the media house for misreporting facts in a case which is sub judice.

A recent report by BBC on the political landscape in Kashmir has ignited a heated debate in India, with political parties and experts taking opposing stances on the issue.

The controversy deepened as the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Police decided to hand over a ‘False Reporting’ case against BBC to the Special Investigation Agency (SIA) Unit.

Controversy erupted after BBC’s report “Any story could be your last – India’s crackdown on Kashmir Press” was published on September 1 where it was alleged that there was a crackdown on press in the valley.

Political experts and leaders have expressed their divergent opinions on the matter, highlighting the complex interplay between journalism, national security, and freedom of expression.