10 Journalists Killed in Kashmir Over 19 Years

By Fayaz Wani

Srinagar, May 11: The death toll of journalists killed in Kashmir while covering events has risen to 10. The latest was the death of a photo-journalist from a local English newspaper, who was covering an encounter between militants and soldiers on Sunday.

Ashok Sodhi, a photo-journalist for the daily Excelsior, an English newspaper, was hit by bullets while he was covering a gunfight between militants and soldiers in Samba sector of Kashmir region on Sunday.

The first prominent journalist, who fell to the violence in Kashmir, was Mohammad Shaban Vakil, editor of local daily Urdu newspaper, published from Srinagar. He fell to bullets of unidentified persons in the early 1990s.

In 1992, unidentified gunmen shot dead Lassa Koul, Assistant Director of the government controlled Television channel in Kashmir.

On September 7, 1995, a photo-journalist associated with ANI, Mushtaq Ali was killed by a parcel bomb in Srinagar. Two other journalists, Yousuf Jameel of BBC and Habib Naqash of Asian Age newspaper were injured in the first parcel bomb explosion in Srinagar.

In January 1997, a journalist associated with government controlled electronic media, Altaf Ahmad was killed.

On Mary 16, 1997, unidentified gunmen shot dead Saidian Shafi, correspondent of private television programme, Ankhon Dekhi in Srinagar. Shafi was gunned down along with a body guard.

A photo-journalist of Indian newspaper, Hindustan Times, Pradeep Bhatia was killed in a powerful explosion in Srinagar on August 10, 2000.

In 2003, an editor of a local news gathering agency, Parvaz Mohammad Sultan was gunned down by unidentified assailants in his office in Srinagar.

On May 9, 2004, a reporter of Kashmir government's Information department, Abdul Majid Bhat, was killed in a powerful explosion in the mountainous Doda region.

A free lance woman journalist and human rights activist, Asiya Jeelani was killed in a landmine blast in North Kashmir on April 20, 2004.

Fayaz Wani reports on life in Srinagar, Kashmir.

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