Srinagar: A court here on Saturday Extended the judicial remand of Journalist Asif sultan, arrested by police last month, till October 1.
After six days of detention, he was, on September 1, shown arrested by the police, alleging he was “complicit in harbouring known (militants).” Police had also seized his laptop, cell phones and other documents.
Sultan’s family and the news magazine strongly refute the allegations. Indian Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Reporters Without Borders have condemned Sultan’s detention and asked the government to release him.
The Editors’ Guild while stressing on the importance of the freedom of speech had asked police to make public the charges against him. “The ‘incriminating material’ the police have stated in a routine statement is too vague to be accepted as a reason,” The Editors’ Guild said.
The Guild asked the police to acknowledge that data collection is intrinsic to a journalist’s role and that every reporter’s laptop will have “incriminating” material. It said reporters should not be forced to reveal their sources, as the practice is considered illegal in other democratic countries. (GNS)
