Maharashtra seeks ban on 22 social media accounts with ‘communal disharmony posts'

Amid the ongoing row over azaan and the use of loudspeakers in mosques in the state and in the wake of recent communal clashes, the cyber call wants ban on social media accounts of “fake organisations using morphed photos and deep fake technology to spread communal disharmony.”

The Maharashtra cyber cell has proposed to block 22 different social media accounts for “propagating communal disharmony” amid the ongoing row over azaan and the use of loudspeakers in mosques in the state, as well as in the wake of recent communal clashes in some states, including Maharashtra itself, news agency ANI reported.

Of these 22 social media accounts, 20 are Twitter accounts, whereas both Instagram and Facebook have one account each. (File photo)

“In the wake of the atmosphere at present, we started looking for accounts propagating communal disharmony content,” Maharashtra Cyber Cell Superintendent of Police (SP) Sanjay Shintre told ANI.

Shintre said most of these accounts belong to “fake organisations who use morphed photos, lots of editing and deep fake technology to spread communal disharmony.”

Yesterday, The Maharashtra Police announced a list of steps they would take in order to maintain peace and communal harmony. “People found giving provocative speeches will be arrested. Guidelines on media’s reportage of such issues might also come,” the police statement shared by ANI read.

The controversy over azaan and use of loudspeakers erupted earlier this month when Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray raked up the issue during a public speech on the occasion of the Gudi Padwa festival. Thackeray warned that if no action is taken by the state government, his party workers would play Hanuman Chalisa on loudspeakers in front of mosques.

In his most recent remarks, the MNS chief gave an “ultimatum” to the Maharashtra government to remove loudspeakers from all mosques by May 3, the end of Ramzan. Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut responded to Raj Thackeray last week saying, “everything will be done as the law of the land".

With inputs from ANI