Old obscure case opened up against KR Editor-in-Chief

Old obscure case opened up against KR Editor-in-Chief

Srinagar: Editor-in-Chief of Kashmir Reader, Haji Mohammad Hayat, had to seek bail on Friday in connection with a case filed by Police seven years ago, which Haji says he was not even aware of.
This comes days after his residence in Pampore was raided and he was taken to police station Shergarhi in Srinagar. He was asked to present himself in the police station for at least three consecutive days.
Police had said he was being questioned in connection with the online threat issued to journalists through a portal that is being operated from across the border in Pakistan.
Less than a fortnight after the summon, he was today asked to report to the court.
The case, which dates back to 2016, has been lodged by Police Station Parimpora under section 505 (2) of the now-scrapped Ranbir Penal Code (RPC). The section pertains to publishing or circulating a rumour, with the intent to cause fear or alarm to the public.
“I have no idea when the case was lodged. It is apparently from the time when the government closed down our publication in 2016. Nevertheless, I presented myself and sought bail in the case, and I have been released,” Haji Hayat said.
He said that he is a law-abiding citizen and will always conduct himself in a manner that befits the law of the land. “This intimidation through raids, summoning me to police stations, and opening old cases I am not even aware of can never make me overlook my journalistic duties,” he said.
He, however, termed it unfortunate that Kashmir Reader could not be printed for four days because the owner of printing press ‘KPS’ has stopped publishing the paper due to pending payment. “The cheque books and electronic gadgets have been seized by police and we were not able to pay the printing press in time. Not being able to go to the print is something no editor would want for his organization. We hope our readers will understand the situation and we will resume our printing soon,” Haji said and requested authorities to release electronic devices so that he can carry out daily work.

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