Bilal Bhat born on 7 April 1974, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India, a Hyderabad-based journalist, He is Editor at ETV Bharat, India's biggest digital news Network, a concern of Ramoji Film City and Eenadu. Bilal has covered major wars and conflicts of the world and has earned three NUFFIC journalism fellowships. He was previously associated with Sahara India TV network. He was consulting Editor at Kashmir Reader, an English daily. Bilal has worked with NBC as correspondent and has been reporting from Northern part of India with special focus on the politics, culture and issues related to children. He has produced documentaries on children living near the borders in conflict zones like Afghanistan and Kashmir.
Early life and education
He received his primary education from MET school, Srinagar. He finished his matriculation in 1991. After graduating from University of Kashmir, he joined the Kashmir Monitor, a Srinagar-based English daily in 1999. He received his post graduation degree from the University of Kashmir. He would actively participate in extracurricular activities, like sports, particularly snow skiing and football. His role as a cub journalist in the Kashmir Monitor, based on Kashmir, gave him more insights about the area, both political and cultural. He joined DD News in the year 2000 as a stringer for a brief period. He broke a story in Kashmir Images, a Srinagar-based English daily, about how millions of rupees are embezzled in the name of news coverage. This story led to the transfer of many higher officials including the regional news editor and his team. He would often cover stories related to education and institutions like Kashmir University. In 2001, Bilal joined CNBC as concern of NBC as correspondent. In 2002, he joined Sahara India TV network as Bureau chief and covered Jammu and Kashmir extensively. He covered the Shopian double murder and rape. In 2005, Bilal, while covering an gun battle along with his crew in Lal Chowk, was hit by a bullet in his knee and his cameraman Muzafar Ahmad was hit by a bullet rupturing his abdomen and injuring him critically. Before this incident Bilal had many times had close death experiences while performing his journalistic duties. He was awarded NUFFIC fellowship in Journalism three times in 2008, 2014 and 2016.
Journalism
India's renowned journalist, Prem Shankar Jha, honoured Bilal with the title 'best journalist of the year' in 2000, for contributing a story titled "Muslim victims of pandit migration". He often contributed in local English dailies till he joined Sahara India TV NetworkGreater Kashmir. He covered the Middle East, Afghanistan and refugee crisis in Syria. Bhat writes on diverse topics including politics environment, sports and socio economic issues, but human rights and investigative reporting are his key areas of interest. He is also known for his interviews with leading personalities. He joined Srinagar based English daily Kashmir Reader as consulting Editor. Bilal joined ETV Bharat Network, a concern of Ramoji Film City and Eenadu group, as news editor and is the first Kashmiri Muslim journalist to become the news editor of any national media organisation.
