Delhi Police files 4 FIRs against ‘offensive, provocative’ social media posts, arrests 1 for fake news

KEY STORY

• New Delhi: The Delhi Police has begun taking strict action against those posting ‘fake, offensive or provocating content’ on social media websites relating to farm laws.

• The CyPAD unit of the Delhi Police has registered four FIRs against several social media accounts and sent requests for removal of offensive posts, they said.

• The police added that one accused has been arrested for posting an old video along with the fake news of resignation by 200 police personnel, while one person was apprehended from Bharatpur.

• The Delhi Police has identified several other accused indulging in such activities. “Efforts are underway to affect their arrests.

• Notices to join investigation have been issued to four persons. Further action against them will be taken on basis of their deposition,” Delhi Police said.

  “As part of the investigation of these cases, the accounts/handles that have posted these fake, offensive, provocative content have been escalated to the concerned OTT platforms for getting their Basic Subscriber Information and also for their removal,” said Delhi Police PRO Chinmoy Biswal.

• This comes a day after the Uttarakhand Police said that it will maintain records of persons who post ‘anti-national and anti-social posts’ on social media and the same will be mentioned while verifying passport and arms licenses.

CONCLUSION

• On Tuesday, Director-General of Police (Law and Order) Dehradun Ashok Kumar said, “Records of persons who post anti-national and anti-social posts will be kept on social media and in future, those will also be mentioned in verification proceedings on request of passport and arms licenses.”

• Meanwhile, the central government today issued a notice to social media giant Twitter, warning it to comply with its earlier order to remove content and block accounts related to the ‘farmer genocide’ claims.

  “Twitter is an intermediary and they are obliged to obey the direction of the government. Refusal to do so will invite penal action… Twitter cannot sit as an appellate authority over the satisfaction of the authorities about its potential impact on derailing public order. It is only an intermediary. Twitter may face penal action for not complying with government orders,” the government notice read, as per sources.