Police in India’s Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) state sent out a seemingly standard press release about arresting three drug dealers on Friday. But the email, received by local media outlets, had a Microsoft Word file attached that had nothing to do with the story, RT reported.
The eight-page document contained screenshots of tweets about the situation in the Kashmir Valley, including those with allegations of human rights violations. There was also a list of Twitter accounts “monitored” by police, Indian media reported. These included accounts of leading Pakistani politicians, such as Prime Minister Imran Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, as well as journalists, activists and foreign news organizations, like Berlin-based DW News and state-run Radio Pakistan.
Realizing that they had made a mistake, police sent another email, saying the file was attached “inadvertently” and asked the media to “ignore this attachment.” A police source told The Print that the initial blunder was made by a junior officer, while another source admitted to News 18 that police monitor Twitter on a regular basis and tweets “critical of the state are collected.”
India scrapped Kashmir’s decades-old autonomy in August, arguing that it would help to fight terrorism and boost the region’s economy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the move would bring about “a new age of political stability,” from which all residents will benefit.
New Delhi also imposed curfew-like restrictions in some parts of Kashmir, saying they were necessary to maintain order but will be lifted in the future.