Srinagar, June 04 Jammu and Kashmir Police have booked a Bandipora journalist for uploading an old Wular boat capsizing incident and showing the victims as martyrs on his Whatsapp status.
Sources told that a correspondent of Srinagar based news agency identified as Sajid Raina, a resident of Gamaroo village in Bandipora was booked under various sections of law for uploading a video status on his Whatsapp on 30th May.
The status of which a screenshot lies with KDC, on which Bandipora police have booked him, reads “Wullar Martyred 30th May 2006, with a photograph of 20 children. The children share graves here. Brothers have been buried together, somewhere three children are buried in the same grave. The tragedy is still fresh. #Boat collapsed.”
Pertinently, over 20 school children and a teacher were drowned in May 2006, when a Navy boat in which they were taking a joyride capsized.
During rescue operations, villagers fought with Navy commandos, who opened fire. What followed was a riot, with thousands of villagers storming the Navy camp, setting a sentry post and some motor boats on fire.
Three busloads of children of the Burning Candle School of Handwara had come for a picnic at a hilltop shrine on the banks of the Wular, in North Kashmir. The children were mostly below 10 years of age. With them were two teachers and a peon.
The then Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident.
Meanwhile, Senior superintendent of Police Bandipora Mohammad Zahid confirmed to news agency Kashmir Dot Com that a case under FIR no. 84/ 2021 under section 505-B and 153 have been registered in Bandipora police station against one person for his WhatsApp status which attracts investigation into the contents and intention behind it.
“It was not against anyone’s profession, particularly journalists as being circulated in social media,” he told KDC.
Police have not arrested him; content will be investigated as per the section of law, and if further action needed police will go as per the law, he added.