Shehla Rashid Defends Human Rights Violation Claims In Kashmir As Army Calls Them 'Baseless'

Hours after the Indian Army refuted the allegations by Kashmir People’s Movement leader Shehla Rashid of gross human rights violations in Kashmir , a criminal complaint has been registered against her and right-wingers on social media are calling for her to be arrested. 

The army had called Rashid’s claims “baseless”, “unverified & fake news”.

The army’s reaction was to a series of tweets on Sunday in which Rashid alleged that security personnel were entering the homes of people at night and “ransacking houses, deliberately spilling rations on the floor, mixing oil with rice”. 

In another tweet she said that the army tortured four men in Shopian and kept a mic close to them so that the entire area could hear them scream. 

Rashid told The Wire  that she stood by her allegations. 

“Let the Indian Army conduct an impartial investigation. I’ll be happy to share details with them. My thread is quite balanced. I’ve pointed out the positive work of the administration too. All the ten points are based on conversations with people,” she said.

She also questioned the need for a complete blackout in the state if the government had nothing to hide. 

On Monday, a Supreme Court lawyer, Alakh Alok Srivastava, filed a criminal complaint against Rashid over her allegations against the army and the government on social media. 

Indian Today reported that Srivastava has sough Rashid’s arrest for “spreading fake news”. 

Indian authorities have been clamping down on politicians, political activists and even journalists in Kashmir since it abrogated Article 370 on August 5. Three former chief ministers are under house arrest and former IAS officer Shah Faesal was detained at Delhi airport and sent back to Kashmir on August 14. 

On August 14, a Greater Kashmir journalist, Irfan Amin Malik, was picked up by security forces in the middle of the night and released. 

The government is using the Public Safety Act, under which a person can be put in prison for at least two without trial, for detaining people. 

An AFP report said that at least 4,000 people have been detained in Kashmir since August 5, when the Narendra Modi government scrapped Article 370, that gave special status to Kashmir. 

Amid Rashid’s disagreement with the army, right-wing Twitter has slammed the political activist, calling for her arrest. 

Huffpost India reached out to Rashid for comments, but her phone was switched off. This reported will be updated if and when she responds.