Manipur Police to identify people making ‘false, provocative narratives’ on social media
Imphal: Manipur Police and their intelligence wing will soon launch a hunt to identify the people who are making “false, fabricated posts, motivated comments, provocative narratives” on various social media platforms, and will take appropriate legal actions against them, officials said on Friday.
A senior Home Department official said that police have been instructed to check the activity of YouTubers, social media influencers, Facebook page admins, X and various other social media users.
Police would take legal action and hold awareness campaigns against misusing social media platforms, the official said. He said that the government steps were planned in view of the ethnic strife in Manipur and “false, concocted posts, motivated comments, provocative descriptions and hate commentaries” in various social media by a section of people creating law and order problems in the state.
Earlier also the Manipur government took legal action against those who made false and flawed comments and narratives in various social media.
Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, who also holds the Home portfolio, on Thursday, warned of legal action against those misusing social media platforms and said that a special police team would be constituted to look into such cases.
“No one, no matter how influential or strong they are, are not authorised to be the moral police of the society and take the law into their hands,” the Chief Minister had said and added that the government would not allow a section of social media users to incite communal flare-ups.
He also strongly rebuked those using fake names or identities to create animosity/flare-ups among communities, inciting anti-national feelings among the youth, and said those using fake names can also be arrested.
Acknowledging the presence of numerous Civil Society Organisations in the state, the Chief Minister hinted that no organisation or association has the authority to arrest, pick up, assault, admonish someone or brandish weapons. Strongly warning those who intimidate government officials and make monetary demands or official contracts for developmental works, the Chief Minister said that there is a government and law of the land.