New Delhi: Even as the government denied large-scale protests in Jammu and Kashmir and termed as “mischievous” BBC’s photographs showing thousands marching in protest against the changed status of Kashmir, pictures published by The New York Times and Washington Post show streets full of protesters and some streets littered with bricks and stones, apparently thrown by protesters on the teeming security personnel.
On August 10, the BBC Urdu published a video of teargas being thrown to disperse protesters, alleging that security personnel had fired on the people. The government denied it, though the BBC stuck to its reportage.
The Union Home Ministry also termed as “completely fabricated and incorrect” a Reuters report that claimed there was a protest by 10,000 people in Srinagar last Friday when restrictions were eased.
The Union Home Ministry said the news report “originally published in Reuters and which appeared in the ‘Dawn’ claim there was a protest involving 10,000 people in Srinagar. “This is completely fabricated and incorrect. There have been a few stray protests in Srinagar/Baramulla, and none involved a crowd of more than 20 people,” it said in a tweet.
The NYT has shown hundreds of men and women protesting in Kashmir Valley on Friday, and a street in downtown Srinagar full of bricks and stones, while the Washington Post showed a street full of protesters after Eid prayers on Monday.