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Security forces in Kashmir are facing a dangerous enemy -- rumours -- that snowball into widespread trouble in the valley.
Fake or exaggerated news against the forces and the administration are feeding public anger, often leading to violence.
"To stop canards being spread against the administration and the forces through the word of mouth is proving to be a challenging task," a senior police official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told PTI.
Internet services have been blocked in the Valley for over a month now. The ban was lifted for three days from April 10, but led to a plethora of posts, pictures and videos being shared on social media sites such as Whatsapp and Facebook on alleged atrocities on civilians by security forces.
Trouble peaked on April 19, when rumours spread that 100 students had been injured in clashes with security forces in the Pulwama district of Kashmir.
"But a probe found that only 20 students had sustained minor injuries and all of them had been discharged after first aid," the officer said.
The rumour, however, spread like wildfire, leading to protests and student unrest, with colleges being closed. Officers rued that not enough was being done by the administration to counter such rumours.
The only way to do so was by a quick dissemination of correct information, said retired Lt Gen D S Hooda, who was the General-Officer-Command-in-Chief of the strategic Northern Command till November last year.
"You present the facts and let the people decide whether they want to believe the rumours or go by the facts. Truth is always the best counter," he told PTI.
There have seen several instances of rumours leading to trouble in recent times. Counter-insurgency operations have often been followed by unsubstantiated stories of abuse by the forces -- leading to protests and further violence.
"It is a battle of wits. If we are unable to break the first cycle of rumours in the first place, we have lost the game because later it will only be a reaction to the counter propaganda of anti-nationals," retired Deputy Army Chief Lt Gen Subrata Saha said.
The former Corps Commander of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps stressed that security forces and the administration needed to make information public to ward off rumours.
"We are in a conflict zone where, besides bullets, a war on the information front has to be fought simultaneously and victory ensured," Lt Gen (retd) Saha told PTI.
Earlier this year, many people living in south Kashmir were found breaking LED bulbs distributed by the Centre under a government scheme. They had heard that cameras had been placed in the bulbs to help security forces locate and kill militants.
But the last fortnight has been especially turbulent. After violent protests on April 9, the day of bypolls to the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, rumours spread that the Mehbooba Mufti government had been dismissed.
Former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah was not spared either. On April 15, soon after he had won the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, a story gained ground that he had resigned.
Rumours, of course, are not a new phenomenon in troubled Kashmir. In the early 1990s, panic spread after announcements were made from local mosques saying that security forces had put poison in the main water station of Srinagar city.
Former Research and Analysis Wing chief A S Dulat, who served as an advisor on Kashmir affairs to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, said rumours played an important role in creating a wedge between the people and the administration.
But efforts were made in the past to check them, he said.
"About the present situation, I am not so sure that rumours are being countered effectively," he said.
Dr Mudasir Firdosi, Kashmir-born psychiatrist currently practising in London, however, argued that Kashmir was not the only place where people tended to trust rumours. Other parts of the country and South Asia were also susceptible to such developments, he said.
"In conflict zones, because of fear and a lack of trust, I suppose rumours become news very easily," he told PTI. "I think it is universal and that is why we have fake news and conspiracy theories."
He cited the example of the lynching of suspected beef eaters in Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere. "Usually, it is a rumour which gets them killed," he pointed out.
Firdosi also blamed the media for the situation.
In fact, the previous dispensation, led by Omar Abdullah, had got a private television channel booked in a criminal case for airing unsubstantiated news items.
Rumours were also fed by lack of information, Firdosi argued. People tended to believe in rumours when there were no credible sources of information.
"Many things are not said, maybe in national interest, or for the morale of the forces, or to cover up scams and health system inadequacies and so on," he said.
He believed that the ongoing ban on social media was also counterproductive. "If there is nothing to hide, why is the state depriving its subjects of a fundamental right,” he asked.
Rumours even served a purpose, he held. "They relate to survival and safety. Rumours are the only mechanism which at times can make people run for their lives and stay safe," he said.
He said there was not much research on the effect of rumours on mental health, but, depending on the kind of rumour and its outcome, they could have a negative effect on a person’s health in general and mental health in particular.
"People suffering from anxiety disorders, which are a manifestation of exposure to trauma, can become worse or have a relapse. A rumour is enough to make someone have a panic attack," he cautioned.