Attacks – Journalists

The injured photojournalists were Nisar ul Haq of Rising Kashmir, Waseem Andrabi of Hindustan Times, Junaid Gulzar of Kashmir Essence, and Mir Burhan of the Asian News International news agency, according to the journalists and the news reports. Haq described the attack in an interview with CPJ, and Andrabi’s account of the incident was published in The Wire.

The photojournalists said they were on their way to cover an encounter between security forces and militants in Shirmaal village in south Kashmir’s Shopian district when they came across a clash in the same area between local youth and the security forces that was part of the same large disturbance, according to Haq.

Upon identifying themselves as journalists, the protesters allowed them passage; however, the security forces opened fire, Haq said. “I raised my camera to show that we were photojournalists and out of nowhere, we were showered with pellets,” Andrabi told The Wire.