The Hindu : CPJ condemns attack on Radio Kashmir

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 30, 2003

International

International

CPJ condemns attack on Radio Kashmir

New York April 29. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has condemned the recent attack on the offices of Doordarshan and Radio Kashmir in Srinagar. Five persons were killed.

Around 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, assailants detonated a car laden with explosives near the main gate of an office complex housing the media outlets, both of which are owned by the Indian Government. The attackers then threw a grenade into the security post outside the building and tried to enter the offices. A gunfight ensued, during which the three assailants and two security officers were killed.

Last week, the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan made a conditional agreement to hold peace talks over Kashmir. Since the agreement was announced, a surge of violent attacks in Kashmir has killed at least 30 persons during the last 10 days.

A little-known group calling itself the Al Madina Regiment claimed responsibility for the attack in phone calls to local media, according to Indian press reports. An unidentified caller who claimed to represent the group told the Kashmir Press Service that, "we are not against a dialogue with India, but it should accept Kashmir as a disputed territory", according to the Associated Press.

"We are deeply troubled by the increasing violence toward journalists in Kashmir," said the CPJ acting director, Joel Simon. "We urge all sides of the conflict to respect journalists and their right to report the news freely, without fear of attack."

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