Terrorists in Sopore town of Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir attacked a patrolling party of CRPF today. Two security force personnel got injured in the attack. One civilian was killed in cross-firing during the encounter.
After the encounter, an image of a 3-year-old boy sitting on the motionless body of his grandfather at the site started doing the round on social media. Though the Jammu and Kashmir police had rescued the three-year-old, many Twitter users started sharing the image and claiming that the boy’s grandfather was killed by the Indian Army.
India Today journalist Ashraf Wani was one of the first to jump into the scene to claim that the 60-year-old civilian was killed by the CRPF personnel. Sharing a video message by the son of the civilian who lost his life in the attack today, Wani said that according to the son of 60-year-old civilian, Bashir Ahmed said his father was brought down from the vehicle and killed by CRPF.
Many Islamist handles also claimed that the civilian was killed by CRPF.
Heartbreaking!!
— Irshad ‘ارشاد’ (@KhanIrshad0) July 1, 2020
3-year-old boy sitting on his grandfather killed in #Kashmir.
3-year-old Ayaad crying over his grandfather’s body who was shot dead today in alleged “encounter” in Sopore. Family blame CRPF forces.#StandWithKashmir #KashmirBleeds pic.twitter.com/Ufh51y0oOj
Heartbreaking! 3-year-old boy sitting on his grandfather killed in #Kashmir.
— DOAM (@doamuslims) July 1, 2020
3-year-old Ayaad crying over his grandfather’s body who was shot dead today in alleged “encounter” in Sopore. Family blame CRPF forces.#StandWithKashmir #KashmirBleeds pic.twitter.com/D95mZVnc5r
Few pro-Islamist trolls were also quick to show solidarity with Pakistan and its terror organisations, by alluding that the “CRPF and the Army brutally kill and torture innocent civilians in Kashmir on a daily basis and the blame is put on either Pakistan or the Militants”.
Son of Civilian Killed during #Sopore attack saying his father was brought down from his vehicle and killed by the CRPF.
— Jagrity Sablok (@jagritysablok1) July 1, 2020
The CRPF & the Army brutally kills & tortures innocent civilians in #Kashmir on a daily basis & the blame is put on either Pakistan or the Militants!
Unlike claimed by these Twitter users, the son of the civilian was nowhere heard blaming the CRPF for the killing of his father. He, in fact, said that when the firing began, CRPF also fired and his father was killed. Like always, the Islamist sympathisers have tried to twist the statement to suit their narrative.
Refuting social media claims that the old man was brought down by the CRPF, Sopore Police also issued a statement. Calling the claims baseless and far beyond the facts, Sopore police said that action would be initiated against those spreading rumours.
The news surfaced on some social networking sites that the civilian was brought down and killed is totally baseless and is far beyond the facts, Sopore Police refutes and denies the news and legal action shall be initiated against the false reports and rumours @KashmirPolice
— Sopore Police (@SoporePolice) July 1, 2020
Meanwhile, senior Jammu and Kashmir police officer Imtiyaz Hussain also took to Twitter to share the first-hand account by a local cop in Sopore about the terror incident. According to the cop, the terrorists started firing indiscriminately from the upper floors of a mosque on the opposite side of the road. The local cop said soon after the firing started, a civilian and three CRPF jawans were injured. He recollected, how for them, the greatest challenge then was to rescue the 3-year-old toddler who was roaming around helplessly near his grandfather who lay there in a pool of blood along with three CRPF personnel. The army chose to rescue the child first, instead of picking up the injured CRPF personnel and the civilian, he recalls.
The local cop in the video is heard saying how the army then made a safe wall by lining up the army vehicles together and rescued the child. The cop also informs that along with the civilian, a CRPF personnel was also killed in the encounter.
The first hand account by a local cop in Sopore about the terror crime. He was first to respond the situation after the incident. pic.twitter.com/nIVxrIJmlF
— Imtiyaz Hussain (@hussain_imtiyaz) July 1, 2020
Spreading fake news to discredit the Indian Army is nothing new. Islamists and Pakistani propaganda machinery have often peddled similar narratives to target the Indian Armed forces. Recently, we reported how assorted Islamists and Pakistan-based groups had blamed the Indian Army for the killing of a 9-year-old child by terrorists.
The Kashmiri separatists and Pakistani handles used the murder of the minor boy by a Kashmiri terrorist to claim that India was oppressing Kashmiris and assserting that ‘Kashmiri Lives Matter’. They also demanded that international institutions intervene in the matter to deliver Kashmir to Jihadis.
Then too, Kashmir Police clarified that the child was killed by the terrorists after they fired upon the CRPF party.
