A police spokesperson said it had been reliably learnt by the Pulwama police that some Facebook users and portals had been “uploading anti-national content, including photographs, videos and posts with criminal intention to create fear among the public”. The police said such content could “provoke the public to disturb law and order”.
Mr. Shah’s portal gained popularity as a bold voice after the Centre’s August 5, 2019 move ending J&K’s special status. Mr. Shah also won the ‘Human Rights Press Award’ in 2021.
His arrest came less than a month after a staffer of The Kashmir Walla, Sajad Gul from Bandipora, was booked and arrested on January 8, 2022 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Public Safety Act. The police said he was arrested for uploading “tweets not based on facts, [but] in order to provoke the people against the government and to spread animosity, ill-will among the people and against the Nation”.