An independent news outlet in Indian-administered Kashmir says it has been evicted from its office after Indian authorities blocked access to its website and social media accounts, adding to concerns about press freedom in the disputed region.
The Kashmir Walla, based in the capital of Srinagar, said it had lived a “horrifying nightmare” since February 2022, when its founder and editor, Fahad Shah, was arrested under anti-terror and sedition laws.
On Saturday, the outlet said in a statement, “we woke up to another deadly blow of finding access to our website and social media accounts blocked.”
The outlet said it was told by its service provider that the website had been blocked on government orders. Its Facebook page, where it has almost 500,000 followers, is also no longer available in India, while its account on X, formerly known as Twitter, appears with a message saying it has been blocked “in response to a legal demand.”
The outlet added that it was in the process of vacating its office after being served an eviction notice by the landlord.
“This opaque censorship is gut-wrenching,” said the outlet, which was founded more than a decade ago. “There isn’t a lot left for us to say anymore.”
Critics have accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a highly popular Hindu nationalist who is expected to seek a third term in elections next year, of cracking down on press freedom, particularly in Kashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority region. The highly militarized Himalayan region is also claimed by neighboring Pakistan, which controls part of it.
In August 2019, Modi revoked the limited autonomy that Indian-administered Kashmir had enjoyed for 70 years and put it under federal control, an order that was followed by a months-long internet blackout. Rights advocates say civil liberties in Kashmir have been curbed since the order, which is being challenged at India’s top court.
Government officials have not commented on The Kashmir Walla’s closure.