Crackdown against fake news; 161 cases registered in Maharashtra

There is a rising trend in hate speech cases and out of total registered cases, 73 are regarding hate speech over social media, say cyber cell officials

The Maharashtra police have registered 161 first information reports (FIRs) as of April 10 regarding spreading of fake news, rumours and hate speech on social media.

The Maharashtra police have registered 161 first information reports (FIRs) as of April 10 regarding spreading of fake news, rumours and hate speech on social media. (Representative Photo)

According to the cyber cell officials, most of the rumours are regarding Covid-19 (coronavirus). There is also a rising trend in hate speech cases and out of total registered cases, 73 are regarding hate speech over social media.

A total of 39 accused have been arrested and 33 others have been identified, said a police official.

In the last 48 hours, a total of 30 FIRs have been registered in Maharashtra. The accused have mainly used WhatsApp, Facebook and Tiktok for spreading misleading information, said officials.

Balsingh Rajput, superintendent of police (cyber) said that the department is making coordinated awareness efforts to reach to the people in order to sensitise them about fake news via social media handles of each district. The platforms and intermediaries are also being notified to filter the fake news video and posts to reduce the spread.

“In this fight against fake news and hate speech participation and cooperation of citizens is pivotal. I will request citizens to be careful while forwarding messages. Maharashtra cyber and all district cyber police stations are taking stringent legal action against this. Residents must help police in enforcing law and maintaining public order,” said Rajput.