Srinagar: A journalist was arrested by police for allegedly engaging in activities “prejudicial to the sovereignty, integrity and unity of India”, police here said on Saturday.
In a statement issued today, a police spokesman said that Sajad Ahmad Dar son of Gh. Mohd Dar resident of Shahgund Hajin, ‘so called journalist’, operates a twitter account in the name of Sajad Gull and is always propagating against the government and uploads tweets not based on facts in order to provoke the people against Govt and to spread animosity, ill will among the people & against the nation.
The spokesman said that during the encroachment drive carried out by Revenue Department last year, in his native village he instigated the locals against the said lawful drive as a result of which the officials were restrained in discharging their legitimate official duties.
“Accordingly, a case FIR No. 12/2021 U/S 147, 447, 336, 353/IPC was registered against him and after producing charge-sheet the case is subjudice in the Hon’ble court of JMIC Sumbal,” said the spokesman.
The spokesman further said that he was also involved in spreading disinformation campaign through fake tweets/narratives “regarding recent anti-terrorist operation in Gundjahangeer in which one local terrorist namely Imtiyaz Ahmad was eliminated, thereby trying to provoke the locals against the Army and Police”.
In this regard, a case FIR No. 79/2021 U/S 120B (party to criminal conspiracy), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 505 )fear or alarm to the public) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) stands registered against him, he said.
The spokesman said that Gull also uploaded the ‘objectionable videos with anti-national slogans raised by some women folk on the day when most wanted terrorist Saleem Parray’ was eliminated in Shalimar Srinagar.
He further said, “The said person under the garb of journalist is habitual of spreading disinformation/false narratives through different social media platforms in order to create ill will against the government by provoking general masses to resort to violence and disturb public peace and tranquillity. Moreover, his overall activities are prejudicial to the sovereignty, integrity and unity of India. Accordingly, a case has been registered against him in which he has been arrested and presently is on Police remand”.
It may be mentioned here that Gull was working with news portal Kashmir Walla as a trainee reporter.
PDP President, Mehbooba Mufti tweeted:
“There is a different set of laws applicable to J&K vis a vis rest of India. Radicalised groups openly calling for genocide of muslims are roaming free while Kashmiri journalists shining a light on state sponsored human rights violations are jailed. Laws too have been communalized”.
