Forces scan mobile phones for militant photos: South Kashmir Residents

South Kashmir residents, especially the inhabitants of Pulwama and Shopian districts have alleged that forces frequently check their personal mobile phones, without even assigning any reason.
The residents of South Kashmir also allege that they are beaten also “if by mistake any photo or a video of a militant is stored in their mobile phones”.
One of the local who introduced himself as Shahbaaz from Pulwama town said: “I was coming from my maternal uncle’s home and when I reached Murran Chowk Pulwama, clashes erupted between youth and security forces and security forces started beating all the pedestrians and when I was about to reach to the other side of the Murran Chowk, forces checked my phone and started beating me after they saw a photograph of a militant who was killed just before one day.”
The people from various districts in South Kashmir said that they store photos and videos of their family members and security forces frequently check their phones, “and they abuse all the persons who are in photograph stored in the phones”.
They said forces ask people to show them “where they have have hidden the photographs and videos of the militants”.
The residents of Pulwama town said: “The forces invade their privacy by checking their phones and forces force them to show the photographs and videos stored in the phones which most of the time belong to their family members.”
Locals also said that they do not only check the phone but also start abusing family members especially the women folk.
“Army has checked my phone three times since the killing of Burhan Wani and while travelling to Srinagar from Pulwama, my phone was checked two times by a Naka party of forces in Galander area of Pulwama district,” said a local of Pulwama district pleading anonymity.
A group of youth from Pulwama district told this reporter that whenever the clashes or encounters take place in their locality or nearby places, forces harass them by abusing their family members especially their mother and sisters.
When contacted, DIG South Kashmir S P Pani said, “We will look into the matter.”