Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir police have registered a First Information Report against two persons—one an employee of Central Reserve Police Force and another serving in Defence Service Corps—after a letter by Tehsildar Poonch that the duo was involved in “spreading misinformation on social media and also manhandling staff of a quarantine center in this district.
Local news gathering agency Global News Service (GNS) that the FIR (No 166/2020) under section 353/188 Indian Penal Code and 51, 54 Disaster Management Act was lodged at police Mendhar against the duo.
The Tehsildar in the letter to Station House Officer Mendhar has referred to a communication by Nodal Officer Quarantine center Girls Higher Secondary School in which he has mentioned that the duo, who are presently quarantined, are involved in “spreading misinformation on social media, creating nuisance and also manhandling of the staff of Quarantine center. (They also) tried to stop them (staff) from performing their emergency duties.”
Subsequently, he had asked the Station House Officer to lodge FIR against them for violating the COVID-19 related Standard Operation Procedures and guidelines.
However, the sources said that the duo was actually “whistleblowers” and the action followed after a video surfaced on social media highlighting various shortcomings inside the center. A man can be heard in the video, “revealing ordeal of a girl who was locked inside a room and left unattended.” (GNS)
