<THE CASE>

WHO IS AASIF SULTAN?
He is an assistant editor with the monthly magazine, Kashmir Narrator, and is based in Srinagar, Kashmir. As a part of his role, his writings have focused on politics and economics in the region. His last piece was a cover story on Burhan Wani.

WHAT HAPPENED IN 2018?
On the night of August 27, 2018, J&K Police raided Aasif Sultan's Batmaloo residence without a search warrant. At 1:45 am, they confiscated his books, laptop, and cellphones, arrested him, and took him away to PS Batmaloo, Srinagar.

The family was kept in the dark and was not sure why the night raid was conducted at their residence. His parents, wife, and young daughter were left distraught. Soon, the editor of Kashmir Narrator, Showkat A. Motta and Sultan's father went to the police station, but in vain.

They learnt that the J&K Police had asked Aasif Sultan why he was not reporting on development in the region and why he chose to focus on the conflict instead. However, the actual reason for his harassment and subsequent detention is his story on slain Hizb commander Burhan Wani.

The story was carried by Kashmir Narrator in its July issue and can be accessed here: http://kashmirnarrator.com/the-rise-of-burhan/. Aasif Sultan was being pressurized to reveal his sources and turn into an informer for the J&K Police. They even questioned his political ideology.

Further, his family was not duly informed about the proceedings of the case, and was only misled, one false information at a time. They soon found out that Aasif Sultan was booked under the UAPA, accused of "harbouring known terrorists" and possessing "incriminatory material".

However, the J&K Police has failed to provide any evidence to prove the credibility of these charges, thereby establishing that these are false and fabricated claims made to frame a journalist who was honestly carrying out his professional duties.

In another statement, the police claimed that he was "writing against the State". No charges against him have been made public even today. Without specifying any particular post, they also claimed that his Facebook activity established his association with Hizbul Mujahideen.

Moreover, before his arrest, Kashmir Narrator received an intimidating email from the intelligence agencies and their Twitter account was 'withheld in India in response to a legal demand'.

In September 2018, before one of the court hearings, he was photographed wearing a T-shirt that carried the slogan 'JOURNALISM IS NOT A CRIME'. He was beaten up for this display of assertion, and the T-shirt was seized by the J&K Police. #FreeAasifSultan #JournalismIsNotACrime