Srinagar: A husband-wife duo, accused of spreading “false and distorted narratives on social media regarding the situation in Kashmir at the behest of a terror outfit”, were on Wednesday chargesheeted under the stringent UAPA in a special court here.
The counter intelligence wing of the Jammu and Kashmir Police filed the chargesheet in the court of the Special Judge designated under the NIA Act, Srinagar, against Dr Umer Farooq Bhat and his wife, Shahzada Akther, residents of Bugam area of Kulgam in south Kashmir, officials said.
They said the chargesheet was filed under sections 152- 62(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) that deal with acts endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India, like purposely or knowingly, using words, either spoken or written or by electronic communication, to excite secession or subversive activities or encourage feelings of separatist activities.
They have also been charged under sections 13, 38, 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) which involve stringent penalties for membership in a terrorist organisation or support to a terrorist organisation.
The case was registered on the basis of “credible and reliable information” indicating that Akther, in a “well-planned criminal conspiracy with members of the proscribed terrorist outfit Dukhtaran-e-Millat, and in active connivance with her husband, was involved in the deliberate creation and dissemination of false, fabricated and distorted narratives regarding the situation in Kashmir,” the officials claimed.
They said the investigation revealed that the accused persons, “acting in concert with members of the proscribed organisation”, were engaged in the “misuse” of social media platforms, including encrypted messaging applications, to “manipulate” facts and spread misleading information.
The content disseminated by them was “aimed at promoting secessionist and separatist sentiments, thereby fostering disaffection, hatred, and enmity against the Union of India,” they alleged.
Further investigation established that the accused were also involved in uploading and circulating content intended to create disharmony and criminal ill-will among different religious groups, with the deliberate intent to provoke and radicalise youth, incite violence, and disturb public order, they added.
“Such activities posed a serious threat to peace, tranquility and the sovereignty and integrity of the nation,” the officials said.
They said that upon culmination of the investigation, sufficient evidence has been collected substantiating the involvement of both accused persons in the commission of offences punishable under the relevant provisions of the BNS and the UAPA.
Accordingly, the chargesheet has been filed before the competent court for judicial determination, they said.
