The Targeting of Truth: Bashaarat Masood and the Collapse of Journalism in Kashmir

The Targeting of Truth: Bashaarat Masood and the Collapse of Journalism in Kashmir


The collapse of journalism in Jammu and Kashmir reflects a deeper erosion of democracy. Between August 2019 and early 2025, at least 75 journalists in the region faced police questioning. But in mid-January 2026, the story took a personal turn for Bashaarat Masood, a 20-year veteran of The Indian Express, whose work for decades had chronicled life under occupation. On the evening of January 14, Masood received a phone call. A police officer asked him to appear at Srinagar’s Cyber Police Station the next day at 3:30 PM. No charges. No explanation. Just an instruction.


What followed was four days of limbo. Between January 15 and 19, Masood spent over 15 hours at the police station across consecutive visits. Each time, he waited. Hours passed in silence, punctuated only by the ordinary noises of a busy station, while questions went unanswered. He was left to wonder: why was he being called? What, if anything, had he done wrong? Unnamed sources later suggested a connection to Masood’s recent reporting. He had published a story about police in Kashmir distributing a four-page document to mosques, demanding detailed information on budgets, funding, and management committees. His dedication to reporting the truth had, suddenly, made him the story.


Masood joined The Indian Express in 2006, navigating the complex political currents of Kashmir with courage and nuance. Over two decades, he built a reputation for fair, thorough reporting, never sensationalizing, never sanitizing the realities of life in the valley.


His colleagues and editors continue to speak highly of his work. “His work over the last two decades speaks for itself,” said Raj Kamal Jha, Chief Editor of The Indian Express. “We stand by him. Journalism is not a crime.” But for Masood, and for every journalist in Kashmir, the message is chilling. The summonses, the waiting, the opacity of power, it is not just an individual ordeal. It is a warning to all who seek to document life under occupation.


For now, Bashaarat Masood continues his work, supported by his newspaper and watched closely by the journalism community. How the authorities proceed remains unclear, but the meaning of this moment is unmistakable: in Kashmir, speaking truth comes with a price.

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