Police crack down on netizens for 'naked parade' video in Kashmir - Hindustan Times

Police crack down on netizens for 'naked parade' video in Kashmir - Hindustan Times

Police crack down on netizens for 'naked parade' video in Kashmir

Peerzada Ashiq, Hindustan Times

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Srinagar, September 09, 2010First Published: 17:44 IST(9/9/2010)

Last Updated: 17:46 IST(9/9/2010)

The J&K police are trying to identity the netizens who uploaded a video clip on social networking sites, purportedly showing security forces stripping young civilians in an unidentified Kashmir village. The video evoked a reaction even from New Delhi with Home Minister Home Minister P Chidambaram describing the video as "unsafe to rely on".

The police have taken cognisance of the three-minute video clip too. "In the initial investigation, it has been found that these reports have not been verified as yet and therefore to attribute it to security forces with the intention of maligning them and spreading disaffection amongst the people is highly regrettable," said a police spokesman.

It purportedly shows some boys being paraded by security forces in Sopore, he added

The police have started investigation to ascertain the veracity of the video, mainly uploaded on Facebook and YouTube.

"A formal case is being registered against the networks that spread it and investigation is being taken up to locate the persons responsible for uploading this baseless and malicious clip," said the police.

The police are mulling action against organizations, which try to propagate it. The clip has already been removed from websites and YouTube by the authorities. The clip continues to do rounds on mobile phones, incensing people on the street.

"This is worst crime against humanity and need to be investigated. It hardly matter when it happened but what is important is why this humiliation and abuse," said Syed Sirmed, a human rights activist.

The undated video has fuelled anger among the masses and many planning to organise protests. Some have decided to report the parade of naked unarmed civilians by personnel, wearing uniform and speaking both Hindi and Kashmiri in the backdrop, to international human rights bodies.

The personnel constantly abuse at the unidentified Kashmiri-looking youngsters and even making them pass by the women folk in the unidentified village.

The video, which apparently seems to be shot in autumn and not in the recent civil unrest, is drawing parallels with the images of infamous Iraqi jail Abu Gharib, where US marines were shown torturing and humiliating nude detainees with dogs let loose on them. The video clip is named after the Iraq's infamous jail "Kashmir's Abu Gharib".

I don't believe this video. I have never been able to get jeans off without removing shoes or even messing up socks.

With the kind of real and imagined complaining happening from the separatists, if this was real, it would have hit news in their newspapers even if the "Indian media" suppressed it. Kind of tough to not notice something like that for at least three quarters of a year (video shows autumn landscape). The timing for this to come out..... forces are arresting separatist leaders, after all this noise, not much tangible support has come through other than concern, Cable channel instigating masses is canned, casualties are dropping..... well, if the agitation is to continue, something sensational has to happen, right?

Even if this were true, it sounds more like a Punju picnic gone rowdy than torture.