South Asia Human Rights Journalist Association

New Delhi,  Sep 17, 2017  : A Delhi court  Patiala house  on Saturday extended the NIA custody of Kamran Yousuf, a freelance photojournalist and Javed Ahmad, by four days. Yousuf and Javed have been arrested by Indian National Investigation Agency (NIA) last month. The duo was produced before Patiala House Court as their 10 days police custody ended. Sources said that NIA sought another seven days remand of the two however the court extended their remand only for four days. The court extended the custody of Javed Ahmed Bhat from Kulgam and Kamran Yusuf from Pulwama till September 19 after they were produced before the court on expiry of a 10-day NIA remand, court sources said. The NIA had arrested Kamran Yousuf, a freelance photojournalist and Javed Ahmad Bhat  on September 5.
Journalists under the banner of Kashmir Young Journalists Association on Monday held protest against the arrest of photojournalist, Kamran Yousuf by NIA.
Journalists associated with several organisations assembled at Press Enclave and demanded release of Kamran. The journalists reiterated the demand that NIA make the charges slapped on Karman public.
 
Journalists from South Kashmir held a protest demonstration at Press Colony on Thursday against the arrest of Kamran Yousuf by National Investigating Agency (NIA) in stone pelting related cases. Yousuf, a freelance photo journalist, used to cover every incident that took place in south Kashmir. Meanwhile, his family has denied that he was a stone pelter.
The protesting journalists carried banners of “Kamran Yusuf is a Journalist, not a stone pelter”, “Free Kamran Yousuf”, “Fair Journalism persecuted in Kashmir by NIA” and demanded his release.
“Kamran was working as a freelance journalist for three years and was associated with several news organizations. He was the first to report news from south Kashmir,” said Shah Irshad, also a journalist from south Kashmir. “At times even police in south Kashmir had to react to his news stories which would appear on local TV channels and other media platforms,” Shah added.