Congress leader Salman Nizami slammed Jammu and Kashmir People's Movement leader Shehla Rashid, who had alleged in a series of tweets that youngsters were being picked up by the Army in Jammu and Kashmir, and tortured. He tweeted, "[sic] Some stone pelters & separatists wre arrested. Thz is common in Kashmir whenevr thre is violence like situation. I hve confirmed from locals & journalists no such incident of Army torturing youth in open to terrorise the people. Kindly don't spread fake news for political gains!"
Rashid had wrote on Twitter: "Movement within Srinagar and to neighbouring districts is more or less permitted. Local press is restricted. Cooking gas shortage has started to set in. Gas agencies are closed," she wrote. "People are saying that J&K Police has no authority on law & order situation. They've been rendered powerless. Everything is in the hands of paramilitary forces. Armed forces are entering houses at night, picking up boys, ransacking houses, deliberately spilling rations on the floor, mixing oil with rice, etc. In Shopian, 4 men were called into the Army camp and "interrogated" [tortured]. A mic was kept close to them so that the entire area could hear them scream, and be terrorised. This created an environment of fear in the entire area."
The Army had hit back, calling such statements "baseless and rejected". "Such unverified and fake news are spread by inimical elements and organisations to incite unsuspecting population," they stated.