Guwahati: Bogged down by frequent misuse of social media, Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal has directed the state police to intensify cyber policing to check abuse of social media to target politicians and prominent people.
Informing that Mr Sonowal has directed the police to deal firmly with those misusing social media, security sources said that chief minister has also stressed the need of strengthening the cyber cell.
Asking police to be more vigilant, security sources said that state government was worried about the recent propaganda through WhatsApp, which jeopardised the ongoing vaccination drive of the state health department against Japanese Encephalitis by sparking a fear among minorities. Assam director general of police Mukesh Shahay said, “Online abuse and attacks will be dealt firmly. We have taken action against some recently and the drive will continue.”
It is significant that the police on Wednesday booked a man called Rakesh Misra for posting some objectionable statement against local MLA Pabindra Deka of regional Asom Gana Parishad on social media. Prior to it one Parimal Gore, an office bearer of Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation’s youth wing, was arrested on charges of criminal conspiracy and intention to promote enmity between communities through social media. The man from Biswanath district had shared a post originally written by Bipul Sharma that was highly critical of the chief minister and accused him of being an opportunist.
In April a human rights activist Bondita Acharya was threatened with acid attack and rape online by activists of a saffron outfit after she condemned the arrest of 3 people for allegedly possessing beef.
Assam’s singer Zubeen Garg was threatened with murder on Facebook recently by a youth of Jorhat, who was later arrested. Another post, which went viral, made sexual innuendoes about a female singer.
Sources saidthere have been instances of financial fraud through the online media and social media but in absence of awareness a large number of such cases go unrecorded.
