| Ranbir | |
| Chiefeditor: | Lala Mulkraj Saraf |
| Language: | Urdu language |
| Headquarters: | Jammu |
Ranbir (Urdu: رنبیر) was a daily Urdu language newspaper published from Jammu, India.[1] It was the first daily newspaper in Jammu and Kashmir.
Ranbir was founded and edited by Lala Mulkraj Saraf.[2] He had previously worked as sub-editor of Lala Lajpat Rai's nationalist organ Bande Mataram.[2] Saraf had negotiated for some time to obtain the permission from the Maharaja Pratap Singh of Jammu and Kashmir to publish Ranbir as a statewide weekly.
The newspaper was named after Maharaja Ranbir Singh.[3] The first issue of Ranbir was published on 24 June 1924.[3] [4] Ranbir would become the first daily newspaper in Jammu and Kashmir.[5] The newspaper was printed at the Government Press. Instantly after its foundation, the paper gained a wide readership in the state.[4]
In May 1930 Maharaja Hari Singh issued a ban on Ranbir (accusing it of 'subversive propaganda'), following an article about an agitation in Jammu related to the arrest of Mahatma Gandhi in British India.[3] [6] [2] [7] The Maharaja argued that Ranbir had, in its 7 May 1930 (Baisakh 25, 1987) issue exaggerated the participation figures in the Jammu protest and that the newspaper had false alluded that the Maharaja himself would have supported the protests.[7] The newspaper was allowed to resume publication in November 1931.[3] This period was marked by increased pressure towards responsible government in Jammu and Kashmir, a movement that Ranbir supported.[2]
The newspaper was banned in June 1947, following having demanded accession to India and urged for the release of Sheikh Abdullah.[8] The ban was eventually lifted and Ranbir re-appeared in September 1947. In the following years Ranbir was an important mouthpiece of the anti-Pakistani tendency in Jammu and Kashmir.[2] Ranbir was finally closed down on 18 May 1950.[3]