SRINAGAR (KIMS) — The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday dismissed claims circulating on social media about non-local laborers being asked to leave the valley, calling the reports “completely baseless.”
“The recent social media post about non-local laborers being asked to leave is completely baseless. The J&K Police is committed to maintain security and a sense of safety to all intending to earn their livelihood” the J&K Police in Ganderbal district stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir, Vidhi Kumar Birdi also advised public not to pay heed to such false information on social media platforms.
“Social media reports claiming the local administration has asked non-local workers to leave the valley are false. The J&K Police is committed to ensure security and fostering a safe environment for all individuals to pursue their livelihoods without fear or intimidation. General public is advised not to pay heed to such false information on social media platforms,” Kashmir Zone Police quoting IGP Kashmir said in a post on X.
Earlier, PDP President Mehbooba Mufti had expressed concern over reports suggesting that local authorities were pressuring non-local laborers to leave the valley immediately.
“After the barbaric attack at Sonamarg, there are reports that the local administration is pressurizing non-local laborers to leave the valley immediately. While I understand their obvious sense of panic, asking them to leave in this manner is not a solution,” Mufti wrote in a post on X.
She cautioned that such actions could send a negative message across the country, particularly after Jammu and Kashmir recently witnessed peaceful, terror-free elections.
Mufti also expressed concern that the move might incite outrage against Kashmiris working and studying in other states.
The former J&K Chief Minister requested both Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to intervene and ensure that non-local laborers are given sufficient time rather than being asked to leave hastily.
Notably, six laborers and a doctor were killed in militant attacks at a construction site in Gagangir village, Sonamarg, Ganderbal district, on Sunday evening. — (KIMS)