Social media under scanner

SHILLONG, JULY 4: Smses, social media spreading rumours and inflaming communal passion will be under the scanner as the West Garo hills district administration has instituted a magisterial inquiry to go into the depth of such mischievous, false and malicious messages in Garo hills which will be headed by additional district magistrate MSN Marak. Marak will have to submit the report within three weeks to the government, West Garo hills district magistrate Pravin Bakshi said.

According to Bakshi such rumours was also circulate on Wednesday claiming that a girl was kidnapped in Assam and kept in a secret location spreading in the currently communally surcharged situation in Garo hills.  On verification it was found that the girl was assaulted only.

The terms of reference of the magisterial inquiry would be to trace out the call records of the persons, organizations or communal groups who are fomenting trouble by generating and circulating smses with communal overtone and incorrect information or instigating bloodshed and violence, Bakshi said.

It has been reported that even the police control room has been flooded with misleading and derogatory messages sent by miscreants and trouble makers. The inquiry will also scrutinize content on the social media to trace out the persons or youths who have been spreading false and misleading rumours through smses and facebook to create a situation of fear, uncertainty, panic and confusion . Criminal cases will be registered against those found guilty of such acts.

On the first three days of the Tura violence Bakshi was responding to an average of 50-60 calls all through the night on false and misleading rumours and unverified bits of sensational information suggesting arson and killings.- By Our Reporter