Srinagar, Apr 17 (IANS): The Jammu and Kashmir police on Saturday appealed to the people not to pay heed to those trying to paint the arrest of a woman SPO (Special Police Officer) from South Kashmir's Kulgam district in any hue other than for a criminal act.

On Friday the Jammu and Kashmir police had arrested and terminated the services of a woman SPO for allegedly glorifying terrorism.

The police in a statement on Saturday regarding the termination of the SPO from service for allegedly glorifying terrorism said it has been found that on various media platforms, a number of vested interests with malafide intentions have put in a lot of efforts into making the incident appear like an "over-reach" and an "excessively strict action".

"It is clarified that the accused woman uttered anti-India and pro-freedom slogans off-camera thus inviting penal action under ULA(P)Act," police said.

Police said the utterances made on-camera were livestreamed for further dissemination on diverse social media platforms with the intention to cause disruption of an ongoing operation and to incite disaffection towards the State.

"This is punishable under the Indian Penal Code and ULA(P)Act," police said.

Police said the accused being a police employee, is bound by a code of conduct which was brazenly violated by her.

"Thus the concurrent departmental action has been taken against her," police said.

Police said the household of the accused is a suspected shelter point of an active Hizb-ul-Mujahidin terrorist namely Aslam Dar and the woman has been on the police radar as a suspected Over Ground Worker, and thus was subjected to a search.

"It remains to be investigated whether her act was meant as a disruption tactic to aid escape of the said terrorist when the search operation was underway," police said.