Srinagar: Strange noises echoing in multiple villages of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district have left residents spooked, prompting officials of the Jammu and Kashmir government to issue a clarification urging people to ignore unwarranted rumours.
While some villagers attributed the spooky noises to animals that might have breached a wildlife sanctuary in the area, many suspect the role of pranksters or miscreants.
A video of the spooky noises made its way to social media, sparking comparisons to the tumultuous 90s when insurgency was at its peak and rumours of a mythical being, locally called ‘Rantas’, roaming the streets of the Valley terrorised locals at night.
It has also provide much mirth on social media.
Rantas aftr knowing there is no 4g in kashmir pic.twitter.com/tUN2dgxIaI
— Da_rK (@BeighAteeb) January 8, 2021
Unable to play rantas screaming forwarded videos on 2G. I'm sure even alleged rantas will never find peace in #Kashmir!
— Majid Maqbool (@MaqboolMajid) January 8, 2021
Officials at the Wildlife department, however, have questioned the authenticity of the voices as well as the video.
“This is all a hoax. Invasion by wild beasts or mythical creatures in folktales such as the Rantas roaming the streets in South Kashmir is a ridiculous proposition,” said Rouf Zargar, Wildlife Warden in south Kashmir. “We suspect the role of some miscreants. We are requesting people to move around as per their will. There is no Rantas or Yeti, it’s just the work of some shameless miscreants.”
“Rantas is a character from our folklore and it used to be invoked by family elders to scare children so they would not roam around during winters and get sick,” he added. “It’s unfortunate how the same rumour is being used to terrorise the young gullible population”.
Most villagers around the Achabal Wildlife Sanctuary, which falls in the area, also told ThePrint that they had not heard any noises but were aware of the rumours.
“Some people who believe in myths are definitely scared. There are rumours of Rantas sightings in adjoining villages but a majority of people here do not believe that,” said Nadeem Bashir, a resident of Achabal village. “They of course believe in the possibility of wildlife breaching the sanctuary due to heavy snowfall. So a lot of people are not venturing out in the evenings.”
Another local told ThePrint that he did not believe “ridiculous theories” but said he heard someone making strange noises outside his window earlier this week.
“I was genuinely scared so I did not even go out to see who was making the noise,” said the local from Anantnag requesting anonymity. “It could be someone with psychiatric issues or possibly someone who intended to commit theft.”
Also read: 2019 communication blackout, Pakistan — why 2020 saw spike in Kashmir youth joining militants
Reminiscent of militancy years
In the past, locals have often accused security forces of the rumours, a charge denied by the authorities.
“Many believed it was an attempt to make it difficult for militants to move around during the nights as they could come under attack from panicked people,” said Srinagar-based businessman Tasaduq Bashir. “Forces had to even issue clarifications that they were not posing as Rantas.”
Senior journalist Morifat Qadri said much of the Rantas folklore began in the militancy years.
“Before the 90s or start of militancy in Kashmir there was hardly any literature on mythical characters. But rumours of such sights became a common occurrence after militancy, especially in the downtown area,” Qadri said. “There were many theories. People accused security forces of orchestrating the rumours while security forces accused militants. There was of course the possibility of people with psychiatric issues moving around the streets and scaring others. No one knows the truth.”
“Even during the 2010 agitation there were rumours of suspicious sightings. Then in 2017 there were incidents of braid-chopping,” he added. “Such rumours or incidents have surfaced from time to time. They create mass hysteria. But very few can conclusively state the reason.”
Four years ago, there was similar mass hysteria after dozens of women complained of unknown people chopping their braids in the night.
Dr Yasir Rather, a professor in the department of psychology at Srinagar’s government medical college(GMC), offered another explanation.
“It has been found that in a society hit with conflict or political instability, people suffer from anxiety, stress and depression and often people suffering from anxiety aid in spreading rumours or believing them,” he said. “This is the reason Kashmir Valley has always been ripe with rumours. The uncertainty makes people extremely anxious.”
Dr Yasir, however, believes the noises in south Kashmir are the result of a prank. “Nevertheless you see a lot of people making fun of the noises as well. That is considered a mature reaction to stress,” he said. “In Kashmir, people frequently use humour or dark humour as a coping mechanism against prevalent stress.”
Also read: How an Army captain ‘staged’ killing of 3 Rajouri youth in controversial Shopian encounter