Srinagar: The Uttar Pradesh Police have refuted claims circulating in media about a woman from ‘Jammu and Kashmir’ allegedly eloping with a man from Uttar Pradesh after leaving her first husband.
A senior police officer from Kotwali Rae Bareli dismissed the reports, stating that no complaint or information related to the matter has been received.
Speaking over the phone, the officer expressed surprise over the viral news story, saying, “We are unaware of the girl’s location or identity, and we don’t know who fabricated this sensationalized story.”
The controversy began after a Delhi-based media outlet reported that a woman from ‘Srinagar’ had left her first husband to marry a man she met on Facebook from Uttar Pradesh. The report was subsequently picked up by several media portals in Kashmir, many of which simply replicated the original story without independent verification.
The officer criticized the lack of due diligence by media outlets, highlighting that none of the reports provided concrete details, such as the girl’s location or identity. “Every outlet relied on copy-paste content from the Delhi-based source without bothering to check the facts. We, as law enforcement, have no information to support the claims made in these stories,” he added.
The officer also emphasized that even if such an incident had occurred, both individuals are adults and free to make their own decisions about marriage. “Unless there is a complaint or a legal issue, it is not a matter requiring police intervention,” he said.
The report has raised questions about journalistic ethics, with critics pointing to the dangers of spreading unverified stories, particularly on sensitive issues involving personal relationships. [KNT]
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