Journalist arrested for uploading 'anti-national content' on Facebook

A journalist in Jammu and Kashmir was arrested for allegedly uploading “anti-national content” on social media with a “criminal intention” to provoke the public to disturb law and order on Friday.

Fahad Shah, an editor of a news portal, was arrested after a case was registered by police in Pulwama district in south Kashmir.

“It was reliably learnt by the Pulwama police that some Facebook users and portals were uploading anti-national content, including photographs, videos and posts, with a criminal intention to create fear among the public and the content so uploaded can provoke the public to disturb law and order,” a police spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said that it was also learnt that these Facebook users were uploading posts glorifying terrorist activities and causing dent to the image of law-enforcing agencies, besides causing ill-will and disaffection against the country.

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“As the aforementioned activities by some of the Facebook users amount to commission of cognizable offences, the Pulwama police registered a case vide FIR No. 19/2022 under the relevant sections of law and initiated an investigation,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said that Shah was arrested during the course of the investigation, adding that the accused is in police custody.

Shah was earlier questioned by police after the news portal uploaded a story based on a claim by the family of a terrorist, who was killed in an encounter in the Naira area of Pulwama on January 30.

Four ultras were killed in the encounter, police had said, but the family of one of the slain terrorists had claimed that their kin was innocent.

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Reacting to the journalist’s arrest, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti said that “standing up for the truth is deemed anti-national”.

“Standing up for the truth is deemed anti national. Showing the mirror to a deeply intolerant and authoritarian government is also anti national. Fahad’s journalistic work speaks for itself and depicts the ground reality unpalatable to GOI. How many Fahad’s will you arrest?” Mufti wrote on Twitter.

(With inputs from Agencies)