Indian cops detain French journalist for visa rule violation

Indian police have arrested a freelance French journalist in Kashmir for violating visa regulations, the city police chief said.

Comiti Paul Edward was arrested on late Sunday in the Kothibagh area of Srinagar after he was found filming for a documentary without permission, Senior Superintendent of Police Imtiyaz Ismael Parray said.

Edward holds an Indian business visa valid until next December, but the visa does not permit him to make a documentary on political or security related issues, says a Reuters report.

He was shooting a documentary on Kashmir and had met separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, pellet gun victims and captured stone pelting incidents in Srinagar, said a senior police official, who did not wish to be named.

More than 3,800 people have been wounded and one killed by shotgun pellets since protests against Indian rule erupted in the disputed territory last year, with more than 100 left partially or fully blinded, official figures show.

The journalist had sought the defense ministry’s permission for filming in Kashmir, but was denied as he was on a business visa.

A case has been filed under the Passport Act and the French embassy has been informed about the arrest.