News Analysis India

Tag: Anti-National

  • Journalist arrested in J&K for uploading ‘anti-national’ content on social media

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: A journalist in Jammu and Kashmir was arrested for allegedly uploading anti-national content on social media with a “criminal intention” to provoke the public to disturb law and order, police said on Friday.

    Fahad Shah, an editor of a news portal, was arrested after a case was registered by police in Pulwama district in south Kashmir.

    “It was reliably learnt by the Pulwama police that some Facebook users and portals were uploading anti-national content, including photographs, videos and posts, with a criminal intention to create fear among the public and the content so uploaded can provoke the public to disturb law and order,” a police spokesperson said.

    He said it was also learnt that these Facebook users were uploading posts glorifying terrorist activities and causing dent to the image of law-enforcing agencies, besides causing ill-will and disaffection against the country.

    “As the aforementioned activities by some of the Facebook users amount to commission of cognizable offences, the Pulwama police registered a case vide FIR No.19/2022 under the relevant sections of law and initiated an investigation,” the spokesperson said.

    Shah was arrested during the course of the investigation, he said, adding that the accused is in police custody.

    Shah was earlier questioned by police after the news portal uploaded a story based on a claim by the family of a terrorist, who was killed in an encounter in the Naira area of Pulwama on January 30.

    Four ultras were killed in the encounter, police had said, but the family of one of the slain terrorists had claimed that their kin was innocent.

    Reacting to the journalist’s arrest, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti said standing up for the truth is deemed anti-national.

    “Standing up for the truth is deemed anti national. Showing the mirror to a deeply intolerant and authoritarian government is also anti national. Fahad’s journalistic work speaks for itself and depicts the ground reality unpalatable to GOI. How many Fahads will you arrest?” she wrote on Twitter.

  • J&K government to screen employees allegedly involved in anti-national activities

    Express News Service
    SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has formed a Special Task Force (STF) to screen and identify government employees allegedly involved in anti-national activities.

    Those found to be involved in such activities may lose their jobs, sources warned.

    The five-member STF, to be headed by Additional Director General of Police, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has been authorized to identify and scrutinize the cases of the government employees suspected of activities requiring action under the proviso (C) of Article 311(2) of the Constitution of India.

    The proviso (C) of Article 311(2) confers powers on state authorities to dismiss or demote public servants without holding recourse to the normal procedure, if it is satisfied that their retention in public service is prejudicial to the security of the state.

    The STF has been empowered to compile records of such suspected employees and submit the list to the committee constituted last year.

    In July 30 last year, a committee headed by J&K Chief Secretary and comprising  Administrative Secretary Home department, and Director General of Police among others was set up to scrutinise and recommend cases under the proviso (C) of Article 311(2).

    The special task force, according to the order, will engage with other members of the Terror Monitoring Group (TMG) for identifying employees involved in questionable activities. 

    The task force has been asked to scrutinize such cases in a time-bound manner, and shall receive assistance from the CID. 

    On April 16, the police arrested a Special Police Officer (SPO) Saima Akhtar, resident of Frisal, in Kulgam district and booked her under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and terminated her services for allegedly obstructing security forces while they were conducting a search operation on April 14.