A video of tourists dancing against the backdrop of the Zabarwan mountains in Hazratbal has gone viral on social media, sparking discussions and speculation.
However, authorities have dismissed the video as old and warned of strict action against those spreading misinformation.
The clip, shared on the Instagram handle Koode.in and several other social media pages, shows a group of tourists dancing to a Bollywood song in a snow-covered landscape. The video was shot near the revered Dargah Hazratbal. (A claim not independently verified by The Kashmiriyat)
Speaking on the matter, the administrator of Dargah Hazratbal claimed that the video was not recent. “After thorough verification, we found that the video was uploaded on December 30, 2024, and is quite old. The heavy snowfall in the surroundings further confirms this. The footage is misleading,” he said.
Authorities have expressed concern over the circulation of such outdated videos, cautioning that those sharing them with the intent to create public disturbance or malign the region’s image will face strict action.
Pertinently, in 2022 December, the Waqf Board banned “any kind of photography and videography” in Hazratbal Dargah in Srinagar. “No person can take any kind of photography or videography either outside or inside the Dargah without permission,” the order of the Waqf board said.