There has been a spurt in the spread of fake news and misinformation amid continued lockdown of Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution on August 5.
Even as the police forces are adequately battling any law and order problems that might emerge in Jammu and Kashmir, the Centre is fighting a separate dirty war against fake news — launched by Pakistan on social media platforms.
"It is a dirty war, more lethal than the war our jawans are fighting on ground," said a senior IPS officer with the MHA, adding that any false rumour can create chaos in the Valley and needs to be dealt with stringently. Consider the case of former Pakistan minister Rahman Malik, who tweeted a video about 'killings' in Kashmir, but was immediately called out and reported by the J&K police for 'malicious content'.
Similarly, on the request of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, more than two dozen Twitter handles found to be peddling fake propaganda on Kashmir have been closed.
While the Home Ministry has maintained that the situation in the Valley remains normal, a few foreign media outlets have reported large-scale protests in many areas. Reportedly, after the Centre urged two media organisations — BBC and Al Jazeera — to refrain from broadcasting "fabricated videos", which they maintain are authentic, the government has now decided to take legal action against them.
Furthermore, the Centre is scanning media organisations as well as social media profiles to comb for fake news or paid news, purportedly done with an intent to disturb the peace in the Valley.
There has been a spurt in the spread of fake news and misinformation amid continued lockdown of Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution on August 5.
On Monday, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) dismissed as "malicious" a tweet by a Pakistani journalist about an alleged rift between the central force and the Jammu and Kashmir Police.
"The malicious content of this tweet is absolutely baseless and untrue. As always, all the security forces of India are working with coordination and bonhomie. Patriotism and our tricolour lie at the core of our hearts and existence, even when the color of our uniforms may differ," the CRPF had tweeted.
Indian Army has also been on forefront in dismissing "malicious" tweets about the situation in the Valley.
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