Srinagar, Jan 20: Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Tuesday alleged that “intrusive and arbitrary profiling” of mosques, imams and religious seminaries is being carried out by authorities in Jammu and Kashmir, and claimed that journalists reporting on the issue are being targeted and harassed.
In a statement on X, Mirwaiz said that forcing reporters into signing affidavits, undertakings and furnishing bonds at police stations is “condemnable” and amounts to intimidation.
“First intrusive and arbitrary profiling of mosques, imams and seminaries is being carried out by the authorities in J&K and then journalists reporting on it are targeted and harassed,” he wrote.
He further stressed that religious spaces should not be treated as surveillance targets and asserted that reporting facts cannot be treated as a crime.
“Religious spaces are not surveillance targets, nor reporting facts a crime. Media houses should stand firmly behind their reporters. Free press needs to be protected,” Mirwaiz added.
