"Kashmiri journalist Shahid Tantray spoke out on Wednesday about his “continued” harassment by authorities in Jammu Kashmir. He sent a letter to the international and Indian press bodies and organizations seeking their help".
“The officers said I had three options in front of me. They said my first option was that I could stay in Kashmir if I gave them a written agreement that I would not write anything that goes against the government. The second option was that I could stay in Kashmir and continue writing pieces that displeased the government, in which case, they said, I would either be shot or sent to jail. They said the third option was that I leave Kashmir immediately, ” Shahid has said in his statements.
Every Kashmiri journalist’s story these days is the same. These are the only three choices they have.
The Jammu Kashmir Police had Wednesday said that an inquiry has been initiated against a “reporter of a magazine” following a complaint by many ‘prominent personalities of Srinagar.
“Many prominent personalities of Srinagar have lodged complaint against one reporter of Caravan namely Shahid Tantray and his mischievous article ‘false flags’,” Police said in a statement, adding, ” They have displayed apprehension that it is akin to giving targets to militant groups, something which has been done by similar articles in Kashmir fight blog etc”.
In past many personalities like journalist Shujaat Bukhari have been targeted in similar fashion when the names started coming in such “cryptic articles, police said further.
“On the basis of this complaint, an inquiry has started into the real reasons why these personalities were specifically named in this article”, Police had said. Police said that Shahid Tantray has so far not cooperated in the said inquiry. Names of prominent personalities has been kept secret “so as not to expose them to any further threat/danger”.
Pertinently, Shahid Tantray had written a story for the monthly Magazine Caravan in which he had said Indian Army was behind the protest ‘Aakhir Kab Tak’. Shahid had clicked photographs that showed the hoardings for the protests being transported in the vehicles of the Indian Army.
On behalf of The Caravan editorial team, Haripriya KM, Editorial Manager, The Caravan released Shahid’s statement to the media.
STATEMENT BY THE CARAVAN JOURNALIST SHAHID TANTRAY ON FACING HARASSMENT