Police justifies arrest of journalist Sajad Gul over ‘fake news’

SRINAGAR — Amid the voices demanding release of a journalist from north Kashmir, Police on Saturday said that it has produced a charge-sheet before the court of JMIC Sumbal for judicial determination against the journalist for allegedly trying to disrupt peace and tranquillity of the region, saying that he is involved in tweeting fake news in order to provoke people against the government.

In a statement, police said that Sajad Ahmad Dar (Sajad Gul) of Shahgund Hajin, runs a Twitter account in the name of Sajad Gull and is always in search of anti-government news and uploads tweets, which are not based on facts, in order to provoke people against government and to spread enmity against the nation among people.

“Last year, encroachment drive was carried out by the Revenue department in his native village wherein he has instigated the locals against that drive and restrained the officials in discharging their legitimate duties,” police said.

To this effect, a case under FIR number 12/ 2021 under Section 147, 447, 336, 353/IPC stands registered against him and the final charge-sheet against him has been produced before the court of JMIC Sumbal for judicial determination, police said.

“The subject has spread by virtue of his false tweets and fake narrative regarding the recent anti-militancy operation in Gundjahangeer in which one local militant namely Imtiyaz Ahmad was killed, thereby provoking the locals against the Army and Police. In this regard, a case under FIR number 79/2021 under Section 120B, 153B, 505/IPC stands registered against him,” the statement said.

Police in the statement said that the day when the most wanted militant Saleem Parray was killed in Shalimar Srinagar, Sajad uploaded the videos of anti-national slogans by some womenfolk, mostly relatives, at the residence of the slain in Hajin, thereby trying to disrupt the peace. “His activities are prejudicial to the security and sovereignty of the country.”

According to police, the journalist always tweets controversial statements and after provoking the masses, deletes the same tweets and thereby is involved in mischievous activities to disrupt peace and tranquillity of the region.

Meanwhile, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists has asked Indian authorities to immediately release the said journalist. The media watchdog says it’s deeply disturbed by the arrest of Sajad Gul, an independent journalist and media student.

It wrote on Twitter that it was asking Indian authorities to drop their investigation related to his journalistic work.