New Delhi, November 20, 2025—Police in the Indian-administered territory of Jammu and Kashmir must return any documents or other property seized during Thursday’s raid on the Kashmir Times, reported by multiple news outlets, and ensure that members of the news outlet are not threatened with criminal charges for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said.

“Reports of a raid on the Kashmir Times office are deeply troubling and raise concerns about increasing pressure on media outlets in Jammu and Kashmir,” said CPJ Asia-Pacific Program Coordinator Kunal Majumder. “Authorities must clearly explain the legal basis for this action and ensure that any investigation is conducted with transparency and full respect for due process. News outlets should not face punitive action simply for doing their journalistic work.”

A video on the Zee J&K Ladakh news platform showed State Investigation Agency officers raiding Kashmir Times’ offices in Jammu on Thursday morning. The Hindu reported that documents and digital devices were seized.

The police agency has not issued a public statement on the operation or its reason for the raids.

“We have received no official intimation or statement to confirm the official actions. Our office, where the media reports suggest the raids took place, was shut since the last four years and out of operation,” Kashmir Times said in a statement.

Kashmir Times’ executive editor Anuradha Bhasin told CPJ via phone that the premises contained only old computers and archival material from the publication and the outlet has been operating primarily online since 2022 due to financial difficulties.

The newspaper’s Srinagar office — in government-rented premises — was sealed by authorities in 2020 in apparent retaliation for its reporting.

An official quoted by the Kashmir Observer said the November 20 raid was part of an investigation into the alleged “glorification of activities inimical to the interests of the country.” It is unclear which articles published by the English-language daily may have triggered the raid.

The investigation agency has opened a first information report (FIR) — which initiates a police investigation in India — naming Bhasin, according to the daily newspaper Deccan Herald.

Bhasin told CPJ she was not aware of any FIR filed against her.

Jammu and Kashmir police did not immediately respond to CPJ’s email requesting comment.

Editor’s note: This text has been updated in the third paragraph to add the video report and in the fifth paragraph to include the Kashmir Times’ statement.