Saturday evening social media was abuzz with messages that about 15-20 Kashmiri students are ‘trapped’ in a hostel at Dolphin college in Dehradun, asking for help since there was a mob outside. Fahad Shah, Editor of The The Kashmir Walla, added that a girl had called saying ‘please save us’.
SOS: Kashmri girls trapped in hostel at Dolphin college in Dehradun, asking for help, as mob is shouting outside. A girl called saying, please save us, take us out of here. #Kashmir
— Fahad Shah (@pzfahad) February 16, 2019
A similar tweet was sent out by freelance protestor from JNU.
#SOSKashmir 15-20 Kashmiri girls trapped in a hostel in Dehradun for hours now, as an angry mob outside demands that they be expelled from the hostels. This is in Dolphin institute. Police is present but unable to disperse the mob.@INCUttarakhand @uttarakhandcops @ukcopsonline
— Shehla Rashid شہلا رشید (@Shehla_Rashid) February 16, 2019
Indian Express, too, had reported the same stating that the female students had locked themselves up fearing mob anger.
‘Mob is everywhere, we’re scared’: In Dehradun, Kashmiri students lock themselves in rooms fearing attacks https://t.co/FnuxmouqLg
— Shivam Vij (@DilliDurAst) February 16, 2019
Uttarakhand Police, however, was quick too inform them that these are rumours and while there was confusion regarding pro-Pakistan slogans raised by Kashmiri girls, it was sorted. That there were no mobs present there.
Don’t Believe In Rumours pic.twitter.com/4WpoSCq1zz
— Uttarakhand Police (@uttarakhandcops) February 16, 2019
In fact, it was not just Uttarakhand Police which refuted the rumours. CRPF helpline also confirmed via a tweet that having contacted the local authorities in the Dolphin College as well as local authorities, no such situation exists.
Have contacted authorites at the above mentioned institute and also the local police, no such situation exists.
— CRPF Madadgaar (@CRPFmadadgaar) February 16, 2019
However, not to be bowed down by facts, Shehla Rashid could not believe that there was perhaps actually no mob and accused the police of ‘discrediting the victims’.
Rather than gaslighting the victims, @uttarakhandcops should try explaining why repeated news of attacks on Kashmiris are coming in from Dehradun. Try setting your house in order, rather than trying to discredit the victims.
— Shehla Rashid شہلا رشید (@Shehla_Rashid) February 16, 2019
In the wake of terror attack on CRPF jawans where 44 soldiers were martyred, while the country mourned, there were a few who were allegedly celebrating the incident. Journalists, academicians, took this as an opportunity to take a dig at the Prime Minister Modi and mock him, almost tizzy with excitement that PM Modi could not save those soldiers.
Rumours like attack on Kashmiri students across India, even when the Police has clarified that these are rumours and no such incident is taking place, is nothing but fearmongering and an attempt to deflect attention from the fact that many people in Kashmir, including journalists in Kashmir were found celebrating the terror attack.
