Srinagar: The detention of a young journalist in Kashmir allegedly over a report which was critical of the administration and the ruling National Conference (NC) highlighting severe hardships caused to patients after the closure of a road to Karnah following heavy snowfall, triggered sharp criticism from the opposition parties and tribal groups.Khushal Khwaja, a freelance journalist based in North Kashmir, was detained by police on Thursday (January 29) “for several hours and released with the condition that he report again at the police station” on the next day, former J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti Mufti said in a post on X. Deeply disturbing that journalist Khushal Khawaja was detained for reporting the closure of Sadhna Pass which stranded critical patients and led to the tragic death of a young girl. He was held for several hours and released with the condition that he report again at the police…— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) January 30, 2026While Mufti described the “targeting [of] the messenger” as “misuse of authority”, Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) leader Abrar Rashid alleged that the journalist was detained at the behest of ruling party’s local legislator Javaid Ahmad Mirchal.A ruling party spokesperson refused to speak on the issue. Mirchal feigned ignorance about the matter, saying he was being “unnecessarily dragged” into the controversy. The Wire has also reached out to J&K chief minister’s office for comment. This story would be updated when any response is received. Khwaja told The Wire that he was detained after he questioned the alleged negligence of staff of a government-run hospital in handling a seven-year-old female child, a resident of Kupwara’s Luntha village, when she was being airlifted to Srinagar for treatment on Thursday. The young girl succumbed near a helipad in the snowbound Karnah before she could be airlifted. “Her oxygen saturation was about 80 and I questioned the absence of a doctor and the lack of protocols in handling such patients because she had no oxygen support. Police then came near the helipad, seized my phone and held me till around 8 pm,” Khwaja said.He added: “I pleaded with them to explain my crime but they had no answer.”The young journalist said that he had reported on the aftermath of heavy snowfall in Kashmir on Wednesday (January 28) due to which Sadna Pass in Kupwara which connects Karnah valley with the mainland Kashmir was closed for vehicular traffic.In a video report posted on his social media pages, Khwaja is seen interviewing locals while stating that at least four patients were stranded at sub-district hospital in Karnah out of which two had suffered heart attacks. The report shows some locals criticising the alleged absence of “proper arrangements” in Karnah at a time when the meteorological department had predicted heavy snowfall, and the absence of the NC legislator Mirchal from his constituency. “For six months, our leaders go to Jammu and spend the winter here when they are needed here the most. They should be ashamed of themselves,” Fayaz Ahmad, one of the locals alleges in the report. However, a senior district administration official denied the allegations, saying that some patients were ferried in ambulances to hospitals across the Sadna Pass in snowbound conditions. Terming the death of the girl as “an unfortunate tragedy”, the official said that the air transport to Karnah was affected due to adverse weather conditions. “She passed away in Karnah just when she was being put into a helicopter. However, four others patients who were also with her were airlifted. The Border Roads Organisation has also been working day and night to open the Sadna Pass,” he said. Khwaja, who has done masters in journalism from the Islamic University of Science and Technology in Awantipora of south Kashmir, alleged that his report on the alleged lack of arrangements had not gone down well with the local officials and the NC legislator which became the reason for his detention.A source told The Wire that following the intervention of the deputy commissioner (DC) Kupwara Shrikant Balasaheb Suse, the journalist was informed on Thursday evening after his release that he was not required to report at the police station again.AIP leader Rashid, who is son of the incarcerated Lok Sabha MP from north Kashmir Engineer Rashid, also alleged in a post on X that Khwaja was detained at the behest of Mirchal.“It is deeply disturbing to hear that he was detained and harassed on the directions of JKNC MLA. This is not the first time. These incidents began after the JKNC MLA from Karnah assumed office. Khushal is a qualified journalist. He does his job with honesty and dedication. Detaining him is condemnable and unfortunate. The authorities must intervene. They must ensure that no innocent person is harassed unnecessarily,” he said, tagging J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah, DC Kupwara and J&K Police. A young journalist, @KhushalKhawaja from far flung Tangdar, has always been a voice for hundreds and thousands in the area.It is deeply disturbing to hear that he was detained and harassed on the directions of JKNC MLA. This is not the first time. These incidents began after…— Abrar Rashid (@abrarrashid29) January 30, 2026Denying the allegations, Mirchal said: “I got to know about it (detention of Khwaja) through social media. Those who took him into custody should explain why he was detained. I will never stoop to such a level.”The district administration official quoted above who refused to be named termed Khwaja’s detention as a “local issue”. “The matter has been resolved. It should not have happened in the first place,” he said. The arbitrary detention of Khwaja comes days after the Committee to Protect Journalists, Editors Guild of India and some political parties among others criticised the police summons issued to some journalists in Kashmir for reporting on a police exercise to deep profile the mosques in the valley.