The Supreme Court was hearing a petition on the article 35-A today. The article 35-A defines the ‘permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir’ and prevents Indians from other states from buying property there and settle. There was a shutdown call in the valley over the issue and many media outlets reported it, However, NDTV, as usual, took the rumour-mongering and misinformation spreading to a step ahead.
An NDTV report, titled “Police revolt in Kashmir if top court scraps article 35-A, Agencies warn”, claimed that they have learned from ‘intelligence agencies’ that there is going to be an ‘internal revolt’ and massive unrest in Kashmir if the Supreme Court passes any ‘adverse order’ regarding article 35-A. The claim was not backed by any name or fact. In the short interview of the Jammu and Kashmir DGP SP Vaid aired, an NDTV reporter is seen asking DGP Vaid about the possibility of such a revolt. DGP Vaid asserts that the Jammu Kashmir police is a valiant and honourable force and for them, duty comes first.
The reporter goes ahead to twist the question and asks what if there is actually a revolt within the ranks of the J&K police, to which the DGP explicitly states that he does not see any possibility of any such thing. He further asserts that every resident of the state might have a view, including himself, but for police officers, duty comes first and the order of the Supreme Court will be honoured by all.
Despite the express denial of the DGP, NDTV ran the sensationalist headline and crafted the entire news report about the ‘claims of revolt’, without any substantiation.
KnsKashmir.com, a news portal of Kashmir, quoted the DGP dismissing any such claims as ‘rubbish’ and they carried no credibility. He reportedly added that media outlets are making false claims and there has been no such intelligence report.
Though, as claimed in reports, the DGP did admit that the standing council of the state government has submitted in the Supreme Court to defer hearing on the issue till October after the Local body and Panchayat elections are held in the state. The DGP stated that there was a shut down in the valley but sparing a few minor incidents of stone pelting, it has been peaceful so far.
The NDTV report claiming ‘intelligence agencies’ sending report of possible revolt within the state police did not have any factual base. This is not the first time that NDTV has concocted news. In the past, they have invented theories and have told deliberate lies to create confusion among the masses. But lies about a non-existent report on a possible revolt seems to be a new low especially considering the delicate situation in Kashmir and the risks security forces take to maintain peace in the region.
