Police in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir seized the mobile phone of senior journalist Jehangir Ali from his home in Chrar-i-Sharief on Wednesday evening, The Wire, for which he reports from the region, said in a statement on Thursday.

According to news outlet, police officers arrived at Ali’s residence on December 17 and took his phone without informing him of the reasons for the seizure or providing details of any FIR, case, warrant or court order.

The publication said the police also did not share the hash value of the device, a standard procedure meant to ensure that no data is altered while an electronic device remains in official custody.

The seizure comes at a time when Ali has been reporting on allegations of nepotism and corruption related to the Ratle hydropower project in Kishtwar district. The Wire said its correspondent was working on another investigative story on the project when the police visited his home.

In a statement, The Wire described the action as an attempt to intimidate its journalist and alleged that it reflects a broader pattern of harassment of journalists in Jammu and Kashmir.

The publication has demanded the immediate return of Ali’s mobile phone along with a detailed chain of custody documenting how the device has been handled since it was seized.

Former J&K chief minister and president of Peoples Democratic Party Mehbooba Mufti condemned the seizure of journalist Jehangir Ali’s phone and criticized the BJP over alleged corruption and nepotism in the Kishtwar Power project. She further asserted that journalism in Kashmir is under threat.

Allegations of brazen corruption & nepotism against BJP MLAs in the Kishtwar Power project was only recently brought to light by The Wire’s Jehangir Ali. Today it comes as no surprise that his phone was illegally seized. Journalism is dying in Kashmir barring stenographers who… https://t.co/UmnVCbeHn8

— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) December 18, 2025

The incident comes amid wider concerns over press freedom in the Union Territory. Last month, the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) condemned directives issued by the Jammu and Kashmir administration requiring district information officers to “verify” journalists, maintain lists of approved media persons and monitor alleged misuse of media credentials.

PUCL said the orders amount to surveillance, violate journalists’ privacy and restrict access to official information, particularly for freelance reporters and stringers. The civil liberties group described the measures as part of systematic efforts to undermine media freedom in the region and called for the directives to be withdrawn.

Similar concerns have been raised by international press freedom groups.

In November, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned a raid by the Jammu and Kashmir State Investigation Agency on the offices of the Kashmir Times in Jammu, during which documents and computers were seized despite the premises being shut since 2021.

RSF described the action as an unacceptable attack on one of the few independent media outlets covering the region and said cases filed against the newspaper and its editor-in-chief, Anuradha Bhasin, appeared aimed at silencing critical voices in Kashmir.