‘Allegations don’t appear to be true’: Delhi court grants bail to Kashmiri photojournalist arrested under UAPA

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A Delhi court has granted bail to Kashmiri photojournalist Mohammad Manan Dar, who has been accused by the NIA of being associated with terrorist groups in Jammu and Kashmir, and observed that the allegations ‘do not appear convincing and true”.

Dar was arrested under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). He was arrested by the NIA on October 22, 2021, following allegations that he was working to boost the influence of terrorist organizations in Jammu and Kashmir.

Extra Sessions Judge Shailender Malik granted Dar bail on January 2. “, said the court.

The National Investigative Agency had alleged that Dar “under cover as a photojournalist” was part of a “hybrid cadre designed to execute small-scale attacks such as the targeted killing of minorities, security forces, political leaders and other important people to create trouble and sow terror.”

The court said that even if accepted, it cautioned that such claims must be supported by direct evidence of such activities. “Mere assumptions or incomplete evidence to establish such facts may not be sufficient. This court would not discuss witness statements naming the defendant/plaintiff in detail, except to note that such statements may not be conclusive,” he said.

The court said that having certain objectionable material on someone’s cellphone, which a prudent person would otherwise have deleted, “ipso facto (by the fact itself) would not be sufficient to link the accused to the allegations”.

The agency had alleged that the data extracted from Dar’s phone also included images and videos of certain terrorist organizations.

The court, however, said: There is no evidence showing the sharing of such a photograph/image of security forces, deployment, etc. with any individual or organization at any time.

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