In wake of riots, social media abuzz with hate posts

LUCKNOW: The Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh seems to have taken no lessons from the Muzaffarnagar riots in which 62 persons were killed and over 60,000 displaced. The misuse of social media -which the UP government claims were used to instigate communal riots-are once again being used to whip up communal passions across the state. But authorities are turning a blind eye. Highly inflammatory pictures and text are being posted on social media, which many fear, may result in further aggravating communal tension in the state, which has already witnessed more than 100 riots in the past one-and-half-year.

A video shot at Sialkot in Pakistan in 2010 showing a mob lynching two youths was morphed and posted in the YouTube in September 2013 claiming it is of two Hindu boys killed at Kawal in Muzaffarnagar. It was circulated through Facebook, CDs and MMS. It was also shown to people in the Mahapanchayat at Nangla Mandaud in Muzaffarnagar on September 7. The fake video surcharged the atmosphere resulting in one of the bloodiest riots in UP. Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Sangeet Singh Som was booked for allegedly sharing the fake video. He was recently released on bail and has given a call to hold another Mahapanchayat soon and before that some highly provocative stuff is on the social media again, one of the pages being in the name of the BJP MLA.

These facts have been mentioned in the complaint lodged by the activists of Rihai Manch with the Aminabad police. The complainants said several facebook profiles pages have been created to incite communal passion. While some of them are in the names of individuals, others are with names like 'Bharat ka Kattar Hindu Yoddha' and 'Dharam Yudh Ka Shankhnad'. Images of violence in Muzaffarnagar on October 30 have been used to instigate people. In one of the posts, picture of the body of a woman has been put up with the claim that she was raped and killed, though the FIR lodged by the woman's husband does not mention rape. Another post has picture of a solider being beaten by some men. The picture appears to be from Pakistan but it is being shown as from Kashmir. There are many such posts, most of them not possible to describe in print.

"These pages and profiles could have been created through fake identities but it is clear that they are meant to provoke people. It needs a thorough probe and action," said Rihai Manch spokesperson Rajeev and Shahnawaz. They alleged that government slapped National Security Act on Som but did not put up a strong case and as a result it was not approved by the high court's state advisory board. Now, they alleged, the government is doing nothing to check misuse of social media. In fact, they claimed facebook profiles of the BJP leader were regularly updated even when they were in jail. They have also provided police screenshots and links of the 'inflammatory pages'. "We have also sent a copy to the Supreme Court which is hearing the riots case," said Asad Hayat, a lawyer who has also filed a PIL demanding CBI probe into to the riots.