Banerjee’s note of caution comes ahead of the Janmashtami celebrations, which might see rallies being organise... Read More

(This story originally appeared in on Jul 16, 2018)

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has asked law enforcement agencies to step up vigil on social media posts after WhatsApp forwards and rumourmongering have triggered incidents of mob-lynching.

Nine such cases have been initiated by the state’s criminal investigation department (CID) over the past month.

Banerjee’s note of caution comes ahead of the Janmashtami celebrations, which might see rallies being organised by VHP and BJP. Stating that many organisations may hold “colourful” plans on this day, Banerjee has asked the administration to remain cautious and monitor the cyber space carefully.

Apart from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal has also witnessed instances of mob-lynching in Malda and East Midnapore districts.

A middle-aged man was severely beaten up by villagers in Birbhum district last month on suspicion of being a child-lifter.

“Among these (nine) complaints, there was an instance in which a fake government notification was circulated through WhatsApp stating that the Bengal government had announced five days of holiday for Eid. There were also instances of WhatsApp forwards instigating witch hunts in villages. We are trying to reach those individuals who create these messages,” said a senior official of CID.

It has been noticed that in many cases, communal tension was fuelled by social media mischief makers who keep sharing messages, posts, videos, clips and at times photo-shopped images.

The CID has a social media monitoring cell which identifies sensitive and subversive messages and remove those, the official said. Apart from the police and administration, Trinamool Congress has its own digital wing that works on “fake news” and spread awareness, said a senior TMC leader.

Meanwhile, a Trinamool legislator, Mahua Moitra, has already moved a petition against the central government’s proposed “social media hub” project. However, senior police officials clarified that surveillance on social media will not bear resemblance to the Centre’s project.

“We do not collect data from people’s accounts. We only implement the legal provisions and take action if we come across any subversive or sensitive posts which may fuel tension. This is the way we are trying to bring down the number of incidents of violence triggered by internet content and fake news ,” the official said.

