PCI Flags Threat to Press Freedom After Journalist’s Phone Seized in Jammu and Kashmir

New Delhi, December 19, 2025: The Press Club of India has issued a strong statement condemning the seizure of senior journalist Jehangir Ali’s mobile phone by the Jammu and Kashmir Police, calling the action a serious violation of legal safeguards and press freedom norms.

The device was taken from Ali’s Budgam residence on December 17 without any FIR, warrant, or court order, and without disclosure of reasons. Although the phone was returned after 24 hours, the PCI highlighted that mandatory Supreme Court-mandated procedures- including documentation and hash value recording — were not followed.

The incident has raised grave concerns as it coincided with Ali’s investigative reporting on alleged corruption and nepotism in a hydropower project in Kishtwar. The timing, the PCI said, reinforces fears of intimidation against journalists engaged in accountability journalism.

Noting an increasing pattern of pressure on journalists in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370, the PCI warned that such actions weaken democratic values and erode the public’s right to be informed.

The organisation has urged the administration to uphold constitutional freedoms and ensure a safe, independent environment for journalists to work without fear.