India arrests French journalist for filming Kashmir protests
Indian authorities have remanded in custody a French journalist for five days over illegally filming a crackdown on Muslims in the Himalayan disputed region of Kashmir.
On Monday, a court in Srinagar, the main city in Indian-administered Kashmir, arrested Paul Comiti over his violation of visa rules as he allegedly filmed a police crackdown on protesters in Kashmir while on a business visa in India.
Senior Superintendent of Police Imtiyaz Ismael Parray said Comiti, who was arrested on Sunday, had no permit to make a documentary on political or security-related issues.
A second police official said Comiti had asked the Defense Ministry for permission to film in Kashmir, but the request had been denied. Police said access was provided to a French Embassy’s consular official based in New Delhi to meet Comiti at the police station in Srinagar.
Another official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Comiti had filmed protesters throwing stones at members of security forces and had also met Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, a prominent leader of the pro-independence movement in Kashmir.
However, a main theme of Comiti’s filming in Kashmir has been his reported efforts to document rights violations committed by Indian forces in their use of “pellet guns” against Kashmiri protesters.
The anti-riot technique has left one killed and over 3,800 people injured since a new wave of unrest erupted in Kashmir last year. Official figures show more than 100 people have been partially or fully blinded by the use of pellet guns.
Rights groups and governments have protested against India’s rights violations in Muslim-majority Kashmir, which has been the scene of a decades-long crackdown over a popular movement for independence or a merger with Pakistan.
The region was relatively calm until the death in July 2016 of a popular young pro-independence commander. That sparked massive protests by the youths and others and prompted New Delhi to intensify the crackdown.
India has accused its neighbor Pakistan of fueling the unrest through provision of arms and training to militants in the region. Islamabad denies the allegation.
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