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FIR against Assam daily newspaper for ‘false’ report
GUWAHATI: The Assam government has started taking action against people allegedly spreading misinformation on Covid-19 on social media and also against news organisations
GUWAHATI: The Assam government has started taking action against people allegedly spreading misinformation on Covid-19 on social media and also against news organisations airing or publishing unverified news articles about the infectious disease.
On Sunday, the information and public relations department of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government filed a first information report (FIR) against Jugasanka, a Bengali-language daily published from Silchar, for carrying an alleged “false news report” about the state’s first Covid-19 positive patient.
While the patient is still admitted to the Silchar Medical College Hospital, the news story mentioned that he had been cured of the disease. It said the second test carried on the patient was found negative.
“According to doctors, the news item is completely baseless and the patient has not recovered yet,” said the FIR lodged in Karimganj police station by Sajjadul Hoque Choudhury, the district’s information and public relations officer.
Publication of the news item has resulted in “inconvenience in maintaining law and order”, the FIR said. The case was lodged against the reporter and the publisher of the newspaper under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (disobedience of orders duly promulgated by a public servant) and provisions of the Assam Covid-19 Regulation, 2020.
Under this law, no person, institution or organisation is allowed to use any print, electronic or social media for dissemination of information on Covid-19 without verifying the facts and clearance of the government.
“There was some confusion about the name of the Covid-19 patient admitted to Silchar Medical College, and another patient with a similar name was admitted for another disease...there was no ill intention behind it. We had already carried a corrigendum on the front page of the paper on April 5,” said Chinmoy Kumar Das, the editor of Jugasanka.
The information department has also taken to Twitter to name and shame news platforms for publishing and airing alleged fake news. The Eastern Chronicle, an English-language daily, and Pratidin Time, an Assamese news channel, have been named out for putting out misleading details on Covid-19 patients.
The actions came three days after the department constituted a five-member committee “for monitoring and checking of fake news in all forms of media.” Members of the committee are officials from the information, health, police and disaster management departments.
Besides monitoring purported fake news, the committee directed district information officers to streamline social media handles and activate WhatsApp numbers so that the public can get access to correct information.
The police department has already become active in surveillance of social media users spreading rumours about the disease. Till Sunday, 12 cases had been lodged, seven persons arrested, 80 others counselled and over 100 purported fake reports removed from various social media platforms.
Warning of stringent action, the police have requested citizens not to share or provide unverified or provocative content on social media. The department also asked the public to inform it about rumours on its Facebook page, Twitter handle and WhatsApp helpline number: 9132699735.
