6 days ago
5
ARTICLE AD BOX
All along, the police made him wait and did not specify to Masood the reason for calling him to the station and making him sit there for hours.
THE Jammu and Kashmir Police called The Indian Express Assistant Editor Bashaarat Masood to the Cyber Police Station in Srinagar on four days between January 15 and January 19 and asked him to sign a bond that he would not do anything that would disturb peace.
Masood, who has been reporting for The Indian Express from Srinagar for 20 years, did not sign the bond.
He received a call from the police first on January 14 evening, asking him to present himself at the Cyber Police Station the next day at 3.30 pm. He was called to the police station every day except Sunday. In all, he was in the police station for at least 15 hours over four days. He last went to the police station Monday morning.
On January 16, the police took him from the Cyber Police Station before a Magistrate and asked him to sign a bond.
An officer, who did not wish to be named, said the police had sought to take preventive action under Section 126 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, claiming it had information he would commit a “breach of peace” or disturb “public tranquility”.
This section states if the Magistrate is of the opinion there is sufficient ground for proceeding, he may, require such person to show cause why he should not be ordered to execute a bond or bail bond for keeping the peace.
Masood told the Magistrate he did not know the reason for which he was being asked to sign the bond, following which the police took Masood back to the station.
Story continues below this ad
All along, the police made him wait and did not specify to Masood the reason for calling him to the station and making him sit there for hours.
J&K Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat was not available for comment.
Another officer, who did not wish to be named, said the police called him following his news report about the police distributing a four-page document to all mosques in the Kashmir valley and seeking detailed information about their budget, funding sources, and management committees.
Masood has been a member of the Srinagar Bureau of The Indian Express since 2006. “His work over the last two decades speaks for itself. He has not signed the bond as asked by the police. The Indian Express is committed to doing what is necessary to uphold and protect the rights and dignity of its journalists,” said Raj Kamal Jha, Chief Editor, The Indian Express.
English (US) ·