The Estates Department of Jammu and Kashmir administration has sealed one of the two offices that were allocated by the government to run the newspaper Kashmir Times.
As per officials, the Jammu and Kashmir government had allocated two properties to Kashmir Times. One of them was used as office space while the other served as the residence of Ved Bhasin, the founder of Kashmir Times. Following his death in 2015, the administration had issued notices to the family to vacate the government-alloted residence.
As reported by Indian Express, Deputy Director of the Estates Department, Mohammed Aslam informed, “They themselves handed over the building to us and today our officials went to take possession.”
The official stated, “They have been allotted two buildings — one is an office and the other was allotted as a residence to Ved Bhasin sahib. Since Bhasin sahib died some years ago, we issued them notices to vacate the house. They themselves handed over the building to us and today our officials went to take possession.”
#Breaking | Office of Kashmir Times in Srinagar sealed by J&K administration. Kashmir Times is the oldest newspaper in the Valley
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) October 20, 2020
Details by Sohil. pic.twitter.com/wHdeju64Ha
Executive Editor of Kashmir Times cries foul
However, Anuradha Bhasin, the daughter of the late Ved Bhasin and the current Executive Editor of Kashmir Times, who was supposed to hand over the government allocated buildings after her father’s death, has alleged that the administration has ‘locked down’ the newspaper’s office in Srinagar in an illegal manner.
She alleged, “Today, Estates Deptt locked our office without any due process of cancellation & eviction, the same way as I was evicted from a flat in Jammu, where my belongings including valuables were handed over to “new allottee.” Dubbing the move of the Jammu and Kashmir administration as ‘vendetta’ and ‘peevish’ for speaking (the truth), she claimed that the due process of law was not followed.”
Today, Estates Deptt locked our office without any due process of cancellation & eviction, same way as I was evicted from a flat in Jammu, where my belongings including valuables were handed over to “new allottee”. Vendetta for speaking out! No due process followed. How peevish! pic.twitter.com/J5P0eKxvbx
— Anuradha Bhasin (@AnuradhaBhasin_) October 19, 2020
Anuradha Bhasin has been on a tweet spree and is constantly sharing tweets condemning the so-called ‘vendetta’, but she has not clarified as to why the building allocated in her father’s name was not vacated after her father’s death in 2015.
Omar Abdullah and Mehboob mufti have also jumped in to tweet in favour of Bhasin.
Last year in August, she had moved the Supreme Court against the abrogation of Article 370 and ensuring immediate relaxations against the supposed ‘blackout in the valley’.
