NEW DELHI — When Kamran Yousuf, a young Kashmiri photojournalist, stepped out of an Indian jail, he was gaunt and visibly weaker.

Mr. Yousuf, who was released on bail Tuesday night after being imprisoned for six months, has found himself at the center of a dispute that has captivated Kashmir.

The Indian authorities who arrested Mr. Yousuf questioned his journalistic credentials. They accused him of throwing stones at Indian forces in the bitterly disputed border territory, as part of a group working with a terrorist organization from Pakistan — charges Mr. Yousuf’s friends and family say were concocted to punish him for documenting antigovernment protests.