Police identify 25,000 objectionable social media posts ahead of Bhima-Koregaon riot anniversary

As the Bhima-Koregaon riots will be completing one year on January 1, the police force across the state has been sent on alert. While the police are expecting large gathering at Bhima-Koregaon victory pillar this time, several agencies are already involved in gathering intelligence and also they are keeping a close watch on the social media to avoid rumour mongering. 

The Pune rural police under whose jurisdiction the Bhima-Koregaon victory pillar comes has formed three dedicated cells to monitor the social media and the team has identified over 25,000 posts which are objectionable in nature. 

Superintendent of police (Pune rural) Sandip Patil told DNA, "In order to curb the rumour mongering, we have set up a dedicated cell to keep watch on social media. The messages related to Bhima-Koregaon are being closely monitored. Based on the circulation of such messages, we have already initiated preventive action against 25 to 30 persons."

On January 1 this year, the area of Bhima-Koregaon had witnessed large gathering of crowd, mostly from  Dalit community who had commemorated near the victory pillar to mark the 200th anniversary of the Bhima-Koregaon battle fought between army of Peshwas and the army of British East India Company consisting soldiers from Dalit community. 

The gathering had witnessed violence after two groups from different communities clashed with each other, resulting in the death of one person. On the backdrop of this violence, the police force is keeping eye on the anti-social elements not only in Pune district but also from other districts of the state.

Patil said, "Large number of people come to the victory pillar from other districts also and we are taking extra precaution to make sure that no anti-social elements sneak into the gathering and disrupt the event."

"We, therefore, are working in coordination with the police from other districts also. If our social media monitoring teams come across any objectionable posts which have originated from other districts, we are contacting our counterparts from those districts and we are providing them with the details of such posts to take preventive action against the culprits," the police officer said.

Apart from social media monitoring, the police are also relying on intelligence gathering to get leads to any possible conspiracy. "We are constantly exchanging correspondence with agencies like Anti-Naxal Cells, Intelligence Bureau, Anti Terrorism Squad. We have asked them to share any input they may have regarding the Bhima-Koregaon commemoration so that we can take action much before the time," Patil said.