Army denies Shehla Rashid's allegations of 'creating fear' in J&K

In a series of tweets, Jammu and Kashmir People's Movement leader Shehla Rashid had summed up the ground situation, according to her, in Kashmir. Movement within Srinagar and to neighbouring districts is more or less permitted. Local press is restricted. Cooking gas shortage has started to set in. Gas agencies are closed," she wrote. "People are saying that J&K Police has no authority on law & order situation. They've been rendered powerless. Everything is in the hands of paramilitary forces. Armed forces are entering houses at night, picking up boys, ransacking houses, deliberately spilling rations on the floor, mixing oil with rice, etc. In Shopian, 4 men were called into the Army camp and "interrogated" [tortured]. A mic was kept close to them so that the entire area could hear them scream, and be terrorised. This created an environment of fear in the entire area," she wrote on Twitter.

The Army hit back, calling such statements "baseless and rejected". "Such unverified and fake news are spread by inimical elements and organisations to incite unsuspecting population," they stated, ANI reported.

Ever since the decision by the Union government to abrogate Article 370, which granted special rights to the Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcate the state, there was a next to total communications breakdown in the valley. 

Earlier, the Jammu and Kashmir police came out strongly reports from publications like BBC and Al Jazeera that the security forces had fired at unarmed protesters. "People should not believe any mischievous and motivated news reports regarding firing incidents in the Valley. The police have not fired a single bullet in the last six days. The situation is calm, people are cooperative and restrictions are being relaxed," they had said in a statement.