Police and related law enforcing agencies have been alerted nationwide to intensify monitoring of social media contents of Whats App, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and all other electronic communications to contain growing hate crimes in India. This follows a recent judgment of Madras High Court that denied anticipatory bail to a journalist turned BJP politician for forwarding a derogatory posts on Facebook against working women journalists implying all working women, observed that sharing or forwarding a message in social media is equal to accepting and endorsing the message. None has any right to abuse women (impliedly all others) and if done it is a violation of rights. When calling a person with community name itself is a crime using such unparliamentarily words is more heinous.
Accordingly, sources in the Union Government revealed that users, forwarding, group forwarding messaging will be prosecuted under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 505 (statements, messages and posts conducing to public mischief), 153A (promotion of enmity in society), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 298 (uttering words etc. with deliberate intent to wound religious susceptibility of people or a section of society). Offences under these provisions of IPC are cognizable or non-bailable. Besides, wherever necessary, offenders will be prosecuted under the most dreaded draconian law, the National Security Act (NSA). With the intensive monitoring of contents on social media by Cyber Cells in the States and Union Territories, the police has begun issuing multi-lingual warnings to the users on social media platforms. Any fake news, misinformation, trolling, derogatory/obscene videos, messages about women, politics, government, current issues may invite deterrent action.
In the backdrop of spate of mob lynching, targeted violence against women/children, Dalits, minorities, vulnerable and marginalized sections of people, the Union Government has warned social media, especially WhatsApp as directly or indirectly its growing popularity has become its curse. Accordingly, social media have begun taking corrective measures to curb hate crimes on its platforms. As their servers are abroad crimes generated through social media platforms are borderless, making it insurmountable for law enforcing agencies to tackle hate crimes. Nevertheless, domestic users can be tracked and prosecuted by the police.
During the last over four years with the rise of Sangh Pariwar, hate crimes and targeted violence have increased phenomally in the country. Social media together with toady electronic and print media are giving impetus to rising hate crimes in India. Rather than take action as by law warranted, Government of the day is looking the other way. The result is for all of us to see. Hate crimes have gone up over 500 times during the last over four years. Mob lynching is emerging national crimes. It’s outburst of uncontrolled fury and the unspeakable brutality of an insane mob supported and bolstered by Sangh Pariwar.
Frankstein monster of hate crimes, polarization of society on caste, religious and communal lines, growing violence against women/children, targeted violence against Dalits, minorities, vulnerable and marginalized, unless dealt with iron hands and nipped, India will loose its sheen in the comity of nations with country progressing to chaos and disaster!
by M.Y.Siddiqui