NEW DELHI - An independent news outlet in Indian-administered Kashmir says it has been evicted from its office after Indian authorities blocked access to its website and social media accounts, adding to concerns about press freedom in the disputed region.
The Kashmir Walla, based in the capital, Srinagar, said it had lived a “horrifying nightmare” since February 2022, when its founder and editor, Fahad Shah, was arrested under anti-terrorism and sedition laws.
On Saturday, it said in a statement, “we woke up to another deadly blow of finding access to our website and social media accounts blocked.” Critics have accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a highly popular Hindu nationalist who is expected to seek a third term in elections next year, of cracking down on press freedom, particularly in Kashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority region.
The highly militarized Himalayan region is also claimed by neighboring Pakistan, which controls part of it. In August 2019, Modi revoked the limited autonomy that Indian-administered Kashmir had enjoyed for 70 years and put it under federal control, an order that was followed by a monthslong internet blackout.
Rights advocates say civil liberties in Kashmir have been curbed since the order, which is being challenged at India’s top court.
