A local court in Srinagar on Tuesday granted bail to Ghulam Jeelani Qadri, the editor and owner of an Urdu newspaper who was arrested in a midnight raid at his home on Monday on the basis of a 26-year-old warrant, The Indian Express reported.
The chief judicial magistrate asked the Jammu and Kashmir Police what they had been doing all these years, and sought a detailed report by July 31 on the action taken. The court also asked the police how the journalist had got his passport verified twice during this period if he was a proclaimed offender.
The court directed the Shaheed Gunj police station house officer to be present in court during the next hearing to explain the delay, The Tribune reported. Qadri’s lawyers told the court that he was never informed about the pendency of the case, and described the police conduct as an attempt to intimidate local journalists.
The case against Qadri was registered during the peak of militancy in the state in 1990, when his news agency J&K News allegedly distributed news and press releases issued by militant outfits. Seven more journalists were booked, three of whom have died. They were declared proclaimed offenders in October 1992 and an arrest warrant was issued by a court in June 1993.
Qadri, now the editor of Aafaq, was arrested at 11.30 pm on Monday after he reached home from work. The police took him to the police station without informing the family why he was arrested, The Indian Express reported. He was not allowed to take his medicine, his younger brother Muarifat Qadri told the newspaper.
Srinagar Senior Superintendent of Police Haseeb Mughal told Greater Kashmir that Qadri had not cooperated earlier despite the warrant against him. “The warrant has been executed,” Mughal told The Indian Express. “This is a normal procedure of law. The police can arrest at any time. We had asked him 20 times to report to the police but he didn’t appear. There is nothing personal. We have 60 such warrants pending and we have started executing them. Four have been executed last week and this was the fifth.”
Asked how Qadri’s passport had been verified, Mughal said it was possible since records were not computerised at the time. “Today we have computerised records and I can tell you at the click of button,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Kashmir Editors Guild condemned the manner of the arrest, and said police had failed to explain the case in court, the Hindustan Times reported. “He [Qadri] does not know how and why he was declared a proclaimed offender,” the Guild said. “The case is curious because the same police verified and attested the antecedents of the editor for issuance of his passport twice in last 30 years.’’
The Kashmir Union of Working Journalists alleged that the arrest seemed to be a move to muzzle the voice of the local press. The union demanded his immediate release and an investigation into the midnight arrest, PTI reported.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!