Journalists in Jammu and Kashmir Summoned by Police Amid Reporting on Mosque Profiling

Several journalists in Jammu and Kashmir, including The Indian Express assistant editor Bashaarat Masood, have been summoned by police to Srinagar's Cyber Police Station and asked to sign bonds under Section 126 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, pledging not to disturb peace. Masood refused to sign and was questioned over multiple days without clear reasons. The police action follows reporting on a controversial profiling of mosques and imams. The Editors Guild of India, Committee to Protect Journalists, and political leaders have condemned these summonses as intimidation and a threat to press freedom, urging adherence to legal due process. The police have not issued an official statement, and the BJP has largely refrained from criticism.