The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Wednesday said some media organisations were reporting “misleadingly” about a community migrating from Hiranagar town in Kathua, after the rape and murder of a child in the area.

A spokesperson for the police said people with vested interests were “trying to communalise the situation” to increase the pressure on the police, which is investigating the rape and murder of a girl in Kathua. He accused some media organisations of “playing into the hands of such trouble-making elements”, Greater Kashmir reported.

“No migration has taken place from Hiranagar area,” the spokesperson said. “Some women were instigated by rumour-mongers and troublemakers with vested interests, after which they gathered outside a school in the area and created an unnecessary scene,” the spokesperson said.

Several parts of Kashmir are tense, with people demanding punishment for those guilty of raping and killing an eight-year-old girl in Kathua district in January. The situation worsened after the Hindu Ekta Manch held protests in Kathua on February 16, demanding the release of police officer Deepak Khajuria, who is accused in the case.

“Unfortunately, some vested interests are desperately trying to polarise the situation in the areas close to where the gruesome criminal act of the murder of an innocent girl took place,” the spokesperson said.

Another official spokesperson asked the media to report in a “responsible and constructive manner”. “Instead of trying to influence the investigation on the behest of trouble-mongers, the media should allow the law and order machinery to work in a dispassionate manner to ensure justice in the case,” the spokesperson said.