Hyderabad cops stopping people, searching 'drugs' in WhatsApp messages: Report

Cops are looking for words like ‘drugs’, ‘ganja’ in WhatsApp messages.

A video of Hyderabad Police stopping people and checking their WhatsApp messages for words like 'ganja', 'drugs' has gone viral on social media drawing comments on social media about whether the police can do this disregarding privacy. Climate activist Disha Ravi who was arrested early this year in the 'toolkit' case shared the video and wrote, "Why are so many of you surprised like we haven't had people's "chats" read on national TV? If you think surveillance isn't here yet, what you essentially mean is that surveillance isn't here for YOU yet."

WhatsApp chats are being checked by the police in Hyderabad.

Reports said the viral video of the search operation was from the Bahadurpura limits of Hyderabad, while the Hyderabad Police are regularly conducting such operations on the instruction of the Commissioner of Police.

 

As quoted by The News Minute, deputy commissioner of Police, South Zone, Gajarao Bhupal said he is aware that random phone checking is going on, but the cops are not forcing anyone to show their phones as people are co-operating, he said. “Yes, I am aware that phones are being checked. However, we are not forcing anybody nor are we snatching away their phones to check. People are cooperating and no one is complaining, so I don’t think there is anything illegal," he said to the News Minute.

“The public can deny giving their phone. However, we will then have to see what legal provisions apply. So far, we have not faced any such issue. There are no specific instructions as there has not been any issue so far," he said on being asked whether people can also deny to give their phones.

At a time when Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan is in jail in connection with a drugs case, Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has declared war on illegal drugs. Last week, the chief minister addressed a high-level meeting of police and excise officials and instructed them to tighten the screw on drugs.