Uttarakhand Police registers FIR against Shehla Rashid for 'spreading rumours' after tweet on 'trapped' Kashmiri girls
Shehla Rashid is accused of circulating a message on social media stating that about 15-20 Kashmiri girls were "trapped" in a hostel in Dehradun.
Uttarakhand Police on Monday registered a first information report (FIR) against former JNU Students Union (JNUSU) leader Shehla Rashid for allegedly trying to incite "a community to commit offence, indulging in wanton vilification and provoking someone to breach peace" in the wake of Pulwama terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir on February 14.
Shehla Rashid is accused of circulating a message on social media on February 16, stating that about 15-20 Kashmiri girls were "trapped" in a hostel at Dolphin College in Dehradun with a mob demanding their expulsion from the institute.
Rashid stated in her tweet on Saturday evening: "15-20 Kashmiri girls trapped in a hostel in Dehradun for hours now, as an angry mob outside demands that they are expelled from the hostels. This is in Dolphin Institute. Police are present but unable to disperse the mob (sic)."
However, Uttarakhand Police quickly refuted these claims and tweeted 'don't believe in rumours'. In a tweet, Uttarakhand Police said, “Some people are creating rumours that 15-20 Kashmiri girls are trapped in a hostel in Dehradun for hours due to an angry mob. Police is present but unable to disperse the mob. This is not true.”
Shehla Rashid has been accused of trying to incite "a community to commit offence, indulging in wanton vilification and provoking someone to breach peace".
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nivedita Kukreti told ANI: "An FIR under Sections 505 (to incite any class or community to commit any offence against any other class or community), 153 (indulge in wanton vilification or attacks), and 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against Shehla Rashid at Prem Nagar police station."
It was reported that 20 girl students from the valley locked themselves inside a hostel room after a mob surrounded the hostel on Saturday afternoon.
Uttarakhand Police said that the issue has been sorted and added there are no crowds. Speaking to ANI, Ashok Kumar, ADG (Law & Order), Uttarakhand said, “It is told that girls from the hostel chanted 'Pakistan Zindabad'. We don't have any proof regarding this. Police got this info we immediately intervened in the matter and sorted it out.”
“Initially there was some confusion regarding slogans by Kashmiri girls in favour of Pakistan which was resolved,” the tweet said.
Shehla Rashid and several other Twitter users had tweeted that Kashmiri students were being attacked in Dehradun after Pulwama terror attack.
Fahad Shah, Editor of The The Kashmir Walla, added that a girl had called saying ‘please save us’.
Ashok Kumar, ADG (Law&Order), Uttarakhand had told ANI, "The incident of students being trapped in a girls hostel is a rumour being spread on social media."
“Uttarakhand Police has provided full protection to all the people including the students from Kashmir. Our stand is clear - if someone posts something or even talk things that are anti-national, action will be taken against them,” he said. “A protest was taken out in the wake of Pulwama terrorist attack by local people on Saturday where they raised anti-Pakistan slogan. It has been alleged that girls of Dolphin Institute shouted slogans in support of Pakistan from the hostel later. However, we don’t have proof about it yet.”.