Mehbooba denies newspaper ban in J&K

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehaboba Mufti has denied any gag on the press after local newspapers in the curfew-bound state failed to hit the stands for three days after the government's alleged ''clampdown'' on the media in the aftermath of widespread protests in the Valley.

Union information and broadcasting minister Venkaiah Naidu is reported to have spoken to Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday night seeking details of the matter.

''Mehbooba Mufti spoke to Venkaiah Naidu last night with regard to the reports of a ban on newspapers in the State. The CM clarified to the Minister that there is no such ban on publication of newspapers in the Valley,'' PTI quoted a senior I&B official as saying.

No local daily - English, Urdu or Kashmiri - was available.

Mufti's advisor Amitabh Mattoo said any decision to ban publication of newspapers in the Valley have the consent of the chief minister and might have been taken at the local level for which ''heads will roll''.

Jammu and Kashmir Police had on Friday allegedly closed down the offices of at least two printing presses after seizing plates of newspaper and printed copies in Rangreth Industrial Estate in the outskirts of the capital city.

Local news agencies had also said they have stopped their news bulletins after police allegedly asked them not to issue those.

A statement of the newspaper editors, printers and publishers of Kashmir said they strongly ''condemned'' the alleged government action (See: Life paralysed for 11th day in Kashmir, newspapers closed). The Editors Guild of India had also condemned the Jammu and Kashmir government for ''unwarranted muzzling'' of media in the state and termed as ''unfortunate'' the attempts ''to shoot the messenger''.

The unrest in Kashmir also resonated in the Congress-dominated Rajya Sabha on the opening day of the Monsoon session yesterday, with the House taking up urgent discussion during which the opposition slammed the government and pressed for holding an all-party meet while pitching for a political solution rather than using ''barrel of the gun''.