Srinagar
In occupied Kashmir, the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) has said that the media continued to face intimidation and harassment by the Indian authorities during the first six months of 2020 in the occupied territory.
The biannual report that covers the period from 1 January to 30 June 2020 says, “In the first six months of 2020, media continued to be at the receiving end of the pressure, intimidation and harassment by the authorities, with several incidents of beating and thrashing of journalists. Besides physical assaults, few Kashmir based journalists were also booked under stringent charges and cases were filed against them.”
It says that the first six months of 2020 witnessed the continuation of the banning of the 4G mobile internet service, which was banned on August 5 last year. The right to access information continues to be severely restricted in J&K as part of the ongoing measures by the government of India as there were 55 instances of internet blockades recorded from January 1 to June 30, 2020, it adds.
Recording the destruction of civilian properties by Indian armed forces’ personnel, the report maintains that at least 48 cases of destruction of civilian properties were reported in Jammu and Kashmir since 1st January. The destruction of civilian properties during encounters saw an increase during the COVID-19 lockdown enforced by the government, rendering many families homeless and without shelter, it adds.—KMS
