The Jammu & Kashmir police on Wednesday, December 17, seized the mobile phone of journalist Jehangir Ali of news portal The Wire, allegedly while he was reporting on allegations of nepotism and corruption in a power project in Kishtwar.
The police seized Ali’s phone from his residence in Badgam district of Kashmir. In a statement, The Wire said the police action was an “attempt by the Jammu and Kashmir police and administration to intimidate our correspondent, which is emblematic of the systematic harassment of journalists in J&K.”
The news portal alleged that the police seized Ali’s phone without giving a reason for the action and the details of a First Information Report (FIR), case, warrant or court order. “Contrary to directions issued by the Supreme Court to Central agencies and to universally accepted norms aimed at preserving the integrity of seized electronic devices, they did not provide Jehangir Ali the hash value of the seized phone,” it added.
The Wire stressed that documenting the hash value, a unique digital fingerprint generated from data that allows detection of any tampering, is crucial to ensuring that no information is inserted into or removed from his device during the period it remains in custody.
It also stated that the seizure of Ali’s phone comes at a time when the journalist was reporting on allegations of nepotism and corruption in the Ratle Hydro power project in Kishtwar. The portal demanded that Ali’s phone be returned immediately.
On Thursday, December 18, the journalist was called to a police station, where authorities returned his phone.
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Mohammed Baleegh | | 
