Gurugram: The Haryana Police has pulled down 583 social media posts and profiles in a month-long operation targeting what it calls “objectionable, anti-national, anti-religion and misleading content” on digital platforms.
The ongoing crackdown has flagged a total of 1,018 links and profiles, with the remaining 435 under review for removal.
The drive, launched in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), marks one of the more aggressive moves by a state police force to regulate content on social media platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Google, and Telegram, Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) Ajay Singhal told ThePrint. “No leniency is being shown at any stage of this process.”
Providing details, a senior officer from the Cyber Haryana team said the content removed falls into four broad categories—material deemed contrary to national interest, posts hurting religious sentiments, obscene content, and fraudulent investment apps.
“AI-doctored content showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi with US President Donald Trump, where the PM has been shown in a bad light, and memes of national leaders are among those removed,” the officer told ThePrint.
The second category involves religious content such as AI-generated images of deities that the police say hurts “Hindu sentiments”. Content related to the Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi during demolition work was also taken down. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had earlier alleged that AI-generated content was being circulated about the Manikarnika temple.
The cyber team is issuing notices under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act to social media companies, directing immediate takedown of flagged content.
In a parallel initiative launched 2 January, the police have identified 28 suspicious trading and investment apps and channels. Fourteen of these have been removed from digital platforms, while the rest are under review.
DGP Singhal said the crackdown is aimed at creating a “safe, aware and trustworthy digital ecosystem”. He warned that the police will not tolerate misleading or inflammatory information on social media. “Even a single misleading or provocative post can pose a direct threat to harmony and peace.”
The DGP appealed to citizens not to click on suspicious links or invest in unverified apps. He urged people to report dubious posts to the police or call the Cyber Helpline 1930.
Fraudsters create lookalike versions of legitimate trading apps to dupe investors, he said, adding that susceptible investors find that the app on which they put their money was not the original one they had thought but some other who duped them.
The DGP said that social media is a “powerful platform” that can bring positive change when used responsibly. The police, he added, are encouraging citizens to share only verified information and avoid forwarding suspicious content.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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