By Ranjan Solomon
When police raided the Kashmir Times office in Srinagar this week, they did more than search the premises. They attempted to rewrite a story the state has long struggled to control: the story of Kashmir’s last surviving independent newspaper. The “recovery” of AK-47 cartridges and bullets from a decades-old newsroom was presented with official flourish, but the real intention behind the operation was unmistakable. The raid was a spectacle meant to delegitimise, criminalise, and ultimately silence an institution that has refused to surrender its independence.
For observers who understand Kashmir’s political landscape, the idea that a small, financially strained newspaper—surviving on legacy archives and outdated equipment—has suddenly become an ammunition hub is as implausible as it is convenient. This incident fits neatly into a familiar pattern: a press outlet that refuses to toe the line is made to appear suspicious; its credibility is attacked; and a narrative of “security threats” is deployed to justify coercive action. The raid on Kashmir Times is not an isolated police operation. It is the continuation of a larger, systematic attempt to erase the last functional spaces of independent journalism in Jammu & Kashmir.
A Newspaper That Refused to Die
Founded in 1954, Kashmir Times is one of the oldest English newspapers in the region. Over the decades, it has reported on human rights abuses, disappearances, custodial violence, crackdowns, and political repression—issues many larger outlets hesitated to touch. It has done so with limited resources but with unwavering editorial integrity. That commitment to uncomfortable truths made the paper a lifeline for Kashmiris and a thorn for those who wanted the Valley’s narrative sanitised.
After the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, the newspaper faced a new form of suffocation. Government advertisements—the primary oxygen source for local media—were abruptly cut. The Jammu office was sealed without explanation. Its editor, Anuradha Bhasin, was harassed for challenging the communications blackout in court. Reporters faced police summons, surveillance, and travel restrictions. Despite this, Kashmir Times continued to publish—shrinking in size but not in courage.
To raid such an institution under the guise of finding bullets is not only improbable—it is an act of political theatre.
The Manufactured Suspicion
The police claim that “incriminating material” was found. But this phrase—repeated across FIRs in Kashmir—has become so elastic it can include documents, books, pendrives, or ordinary objects interpreted in extraordinary ways. The recovery of ammunition, asserted without independent verification, serves one purpose: to shift the narrative from press freedom to policing. It allows the state to imply that the newspaper is not a newspaper but a front for something darker.
This technique is not new. For years, journalists in Kashmir have been framed through vague allegations ranging from “anti-national activity” to “glorification of terrorism.” Many cases began with raids exactly like this one—doors forced open, equipment seized, decades of archives thrown into chaos, and a manufactured fog of suspicion hanging over the newsroom.
In this case, the ammunition appears at a moment when the government faces heightened scrutiny over its treatment of independent media. The timing and symbolism are too striking to ignore.
The Landscape of Fear
Journalism in Kashmir today operates under an ecosystem of fear. Reporters face UAPA charges. Others have had passports seized. Many have been repeatedly questioned about their stories, sources, and even social media posts. The chilling effect is visible: self-censorship has become a survival skill.
In this environment, publishing truth is no longer simply professional—it is an act of political bravery. A headline can invite interrogation; an investigative story can result in a police visit; a critical editorial can become evidence of sedition.
Kashmir Times is one of the few outlets that still insists on reporting without fear or favour. That is its primary fault line with the establishment.
Why the Raid Matters for India
It may be tempting for the rest of the country to dismiss this as a “Kashmir issue.” But what happens in Kashmir rarely stays in Kashmir. Techniques perfected in the Valley migrate to the national stage. Raids on newsrooms, police enquiries into reportage, digital surveillance of journalists, and the criminalisation of editorial independence are no longer distant possibilities—they are already visible across states.
Kashmir is the testing ground. India is the laboratory. When bullets are “found” in a Kashmiri newsroom today, a reporter in Delhi, Bengaluru, or Lucknow should understand what that signifies for their own future.
Press freedom is not lost in one dramatic moment; it erodes through a series of calibrated assaults—advertising pressure, raids, legal intimidation, and the reframing of journalists as suspects. By the time the attacks appear normal, the institution they target has already been hollowed out.
A War on Witnesses
The Indian state is not afraid of weapons in Kashmir—it has more than enough of its own. What it fears is witnesses. Kashmir Times has been a witness for 70 years. It has documented stories the state hoped would disappear and has given voice to the voiceless.
The raid is not about bullets. It is about erasing witnesses.
When a newspaper that has chronicled half a century of conflict is treated like a criminal enterprise, it signals not the strength of the state but its insecurity. A confident government does not fear reporting. A functional democracy does not weaponise searches. And a secure nation does not plant suspicion in a newsroom to avoid the burden of answering questions.
The Larger Meaning
The raid on Kashmir Times is an attack on journalism. It is an attack on truth. And it is an attack on the Indian public’s right to know.
Every Indian who believes in constitutional democracy—regardless of political preference—should be alarmed. Independent journalism is not a favour granted by the state; it is a democratic guarantee. When it is crushed in Kashmir, it is weakened everywhere.
Kashmir Times has refused to die. That is why it is under attack. And that is why it must be defended.
Ranjan Solomon is a political commentator
22 November 2025
Source: countercurrents.org