The police in Jammu and Kashmir have arrested a man named Tahir Nazir Shalla from Sopore for ‘sharing seditious and provocative posts’ on social media to create a false narrative by spreading rumours with respect to the current security situation in the state.
A person, Tahir Nazir Shalla, has been arrested for sharing ‘seditious and provocative posts’ on social media & ‘trying to create a false narrative by spreading rumours regarding current security situation in Kashmir’ from Sopore, Jammu and Kashmir: Police
— ANI (@ANI) July 3, 2020
A case has been registered against the man, reportedly a Jammu and Kashmir government employee, by the Sopore police. “Taking serious note of the misuse of social media platforms, the police have filed a case against a bunch of such social media users who have opposed the government orders and indulged in sharing false propaganda against the government,” a police spokesperson said.
The Cyber Police identified a social media user—Tahir Nazir Shalla, who works as an Economics Lecturer at the Department of Education of Jammu and Kashmir, for misusing social media through “seditious and provocative” posts which posed a threat to the maintenance of law and order. The man in question is also accused of running anti-national campaigns on social media and fabricating and concocting fake and unfounded rumours concerning the current security situation in the Kashmir Valley.
“Jammu and Kashmir police’s cyber cell has identified many persons who are misusing social media by spreading false propaganda against the govt. One such person namely Tahir Nazir shalla S/O Nazir Ah shalla who is working in education department (Higher Education) who in contravention of social media policy for govt. employees was running anti national campaign on social media and tried to create untrue and fake narrative,” said the police spokesman regarding the arrest. “The accused has been handed over to Sopore police station by cyber cell and got booked under relevant sections of law for further course of action. Investigations are set in motion to identify other persons involved in similar anti-state campaigns on social media and spreading false propaganda,” the spokesperson added.
Tahir Nazir Shalla makes spurious claims on Social Media
The man arrested for fuelling rumours on social media had recently posted a series of tweets in which he had made grossly misleading claims regarding the recent terror attack in Sopore where a three-year-old boy was found sitting alongside a slain civilian a few days ago.
Shalla had been spreading rumours on the Internet, attributing the death of the civilian, killed by terrorists in Sopore on Wednesday, to the Government and the Armed Forces even as the police have strongly refuted the allegations that the man was killed by their fire. Shalla had responded to prominent personalities and journalists such as Sambit Patra, Barkha Dutt, Rajdeep Sardesai and others in an attempt to stoke the rumours that the murder of the man was carried out on the direction of the government.
He has been killed by Govt. Terrorists who have now presented it as HOSTAGE RESCUE.
— Tahir Nazir Shalla (@shubatahir) July 1, 2020
He was killed by Indian Govt. terrorists who now present it as HOSTAGE RESCUE.
— Tahir Nazir Shalla (@shubatahir) July 1, 2020
You cowards, poltroons you can only kill civilians, but you wouldn’t dare to take the name of the armed enemy.
— Tahir Nazir Shalla (@shubatahir) July 1, 2020
After the man was killed during an encounter between terrorists and security forces, and a photograph of his grandson sitting on body went viral on social media, Pakistanis and Islamists in India had started propaganda that the man was killed by Indian forces. In fact, the man was killed by terrorists, while the 3-year old child was rescued by Indian soldiers from the site.
