Kolkata: The Kolkata Police has initiated surveillance on social media in a bid to crackdown on vandals, four days after violence erupted in West Bengal over the Citizenship Amendment Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC).
In the last two days, the Kolkata Police has taken down over 3,000 social media posts including videos, messages and images that were inflammatory in nature. Stringent action against the offenders is also being taken under the Cyber Crime Act, sources in the police told ThePrint.
A severe crackdown has also been launched against local leaders of Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM, nearly a month after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made a veiled attack against the party for “taking money from BJP”.
Widespread violence has been reported from the state days after the contentious amendments to the Citizenship Act were passed in Parliament. Apart from Bengal and states in the Northeast, university campuses across the country have also come out in protest of the law.
Also read: Mamata calls for non-BJP CM alliance to fight citizenship law, says NRC over my ‘dead body’
‘Monitoring all posts’
“We have formed a special team under our Cyber Crime section. They are monitoring all posts related to the Citizenship Amendment Act and NRC. Posts that have the potential to trigger unrest or instigate violence were taken off the medium,” a senior Kolkata Police officer told ThePrint on condition of anonymity.
“We are also calling people and asking them to remove such posts and exercise restraints. If the offence is repeated, we will lodge FIR. In the last three days, we have taken down over 3,000 such posts and started some cases,” he said.
Surveillance of a similar nature is being conducted by the state’s Crime Investigation Department (CID) for districts, he added.
However, the police officer clarified that social media surveillance won’t result in breach of citizens’ privacy.
“We do not collect data from people’s accounts. We only implement the legal provisions and take actions if we come across any subversive or sensitive posts those may fuel tension. This is the way we are trying to bring down the number of incidents of violence triggered by internet contents and fake news,” the officer added.
Also read: West Bengal Muslims, political parties to fight citizenship bill — on streets & in courts
Inflammatory social media posts
With rumour-mongering on messaging app WhatsApp leading to mass mobilisation and rampage in several places in the state, primarily the bordering districts — Malda, Murshidabad, Dinajpur, Nadia, South and North 24 Parganas — Mamata Banerjee has instructed the law enforcement agencies to step up vigilance on social media.
Apart from orders to maintain a strict vigil, the Trinamool government also issued orders to suspend internet connections in these five districts.
In Bengal, several issues in the past have taken on a communal colour due to fake and misleading social media posts.
During the protests over the last five days, posts have been circulated to suggest that Hindu houses and temples were being vandalised in the state. A senior CID official told ThePrint that prompt action was taken in these cases that mostly originated from Murshidabad and Malda.
Banerjee has asked the state administration to be on high alert and take immediate action if any such complaint is received.
At a protest meet Tuesday, the CM said that around 600 people have already been arrested.
Crackdown on Bengal unit of Owaisi’s AIMIM
Over the last two days, the Kolkata Police has arrested two senior leaders of AIMIM for blocking roads in central Kolkata Friday. The two have been booked under sections of criminal conspiracy, wrongful restraint, among others.
Sources told ThePrint that Mamata Banerjee has instructed the police to take immediate action against AIMIM’s rallies.
AIMIM rallies and meetings have also been denied permission by the police in Kolkata and districts, said the police officer quoted above.
Also read: Bengal anti-citizenship law protest turns violent, Trinamool fears it’ll play into BJP hands
Any post in support of CAA, or Modi or Amit Shah, or BJP is inflammatory!