Indian Army rejects Shehla Rashid's claims on Kashmir situation
Former JNUSU student leader and a member of Jammu and Kashmir People's Movement, Shehla Rashid was on Sunday called out by the Indian Army for spreading rumors about the situation in the valley. In a series of tweets, Rashid accused the army of creating an atmosphere of fear in the valley. After her tweets got traction, the army set the record straight. Here's what happened.
What is happening in Jammu and Kashmir?
Earlier this month, the BJP-led Centre revoked Article 370 effectively withdrawing the special status of J&K, and bifurcating the state into two UTs. Anticipating trouble, Centre deployed heavy troops in J&K and imposed restrictions on the public. On Monday, residents got a little relief after schools re-opened. Last week, landline services were partially restored. However, 2G services in Jammu were snapped again.
According to Rashid, J&K police has "no authority"
On Sunday, Rashid put out a number of tweets to reveal the "grim" picture of Kashmir. "People are saying that Jammu and Kashmir Police has no authority on law and order situation. They have been rendered powerless. Everything is in the hands of paramilitary forces. One SHO was transferred on complaint of a CRPF man. SHOs carrying batons, (sic)" one of her tweets read.
She also said army officers were 'ransacking homes', 'spilling ration'
In yet another tweet, Rashid accused the army of torturing people. "Armed forces are entering houses at night, picking up boys, ransacking houses, deliberately spilling rations on the floor, mixing oil with rice, etc (sic)," her tweet read. She claimed cooking gas shortage has started to kick in, people are running out of medicines, and baby food has become a luxury.
Further, Rashid claimed army tortured 4 men
"In Shopian, 4 men were called into Army camp and "interrogated" (tortured). A mic was kept close to them so that the entire area could hear them scream, and be terrorized. This created an environment of fear in the entire area, (sic)" another tweet read.
You can read the tweets here
Claims are baseless, army said in response
Soon after Rashid put out the tweets, the armed forces replied by saying, "Allegations leveled by Shehla Rashid are baseless and rejected. Such unverified and fake news are spread by inimical elements and organizations to incite the unsuspecting population." In fact, Supreme Court lawyer Alok Srivastava filed a criminal complaint against Rashid for spreading fake news against the army and government. He sought her arrest.
