Srinagar: On Tuesday, a report in the Times of India by Journalist Saleem Pandith claimed that around 100 stone pelters attacked a tourist bus in which 4 were injured. However, the report has been strongly refuted by the Jammu and Kashmir Police.
Taking to Free Press Kashmir a police official said that not even a single stone was pelted on the tourists.
“No such incident happened. Tourists are coming and roaming around freely. This is a rumour,” said a PCR official.
“Not even a single stone was thrown anywhere. No such incident took place. Even shops were open here,” another police official told Free Press Kashmir.
NDTV’s Kashmir Correspondent Nazir Masoodi, in a tweet also said that police has dismissed the report.
Police has strongly denied this report.They say Except one incident where two tourists were caught in clashes/stone pelting on Sunday,there is no truth in any such incident including attack on Indonesian tourists at Dal Lake. https://t.co/UsxOQvBu5F
— Nazir Masoodi (@nazir_masoodi) April 3, 2018
National Conference working president Omar Abdullah in a tweet, which he later on deleted, had said that ‘these stone pelters are no friends or well wishers of Kashmir.’
However, the former chief minister added if the news is really fake, he expects an apology on the front page of Times of India.
I’ve deleted it for the time being but if this is really fake news let’s see an acceptance of the same & a retraction of the story on the front of tomorrow’s Times of India. I’ll happily tweet a photo of that also. Now retweet this as well. https://t.co/FLTPq4SWR4
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) April 3, 2018
The TOI report claimed that on ‘late Sunday night, two buses carrying tourists from Indonesia were pelted with stones near Dal Lake. Prompt action by houseboat owners saved them. Two women tourists from Abu Dhabi suffered head injuries after being hit by stones thrown at their cab the airport on Sunday night. They were hospitalised. A mob attacked a tourist bus at Awantipora in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district and threw stones at it, injuring two women from UP.’
The report further added that the ‘attack’ took place on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway around 9 pm when more than 100 men pelted stones at the bus. Quoting a government official, the report claimed, “The two injured women were discharged after being given first-aid. Their vehicle was damaged.”
The valley is on an edge after 12 militants, three civilians, four armed forces were killed in three different gun fights in Shopian and Anantnag districts. In the after math, over 200 civilians were injured, with over 40 with pellet injuries. The Valley is observing a shutdown against the killings. On April 4, the Joint Resistance Leadership has called for a march to Shopian.
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