Crack the whip, Shinde tells Malik

August 19, 2012 06:16 pm | Updated November 16, 2021 11:13 pm IST - New Delhi

A group of  northeast people wait to book their tickets at City Railway Station in Bangalore. Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

A group of northeast people wait to book their tickets at City Railway Station in Bangalore. Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Even as it blocked about 80 more websites, New Delhi on Sunday demanded that Islamabad crack the whip on those using social media networks to spread communal hate in several parts of India.

Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde utilised a telephone call from his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik to convey New Delhi’s anxiety over the misuse of social media-networking sites in spreading morphed pictures and concocted tales and vitiating communal harmony here. He urged Islamabad to clamp down on such elements and help restore normality.

Id greeting

Mr. Malik phoned to greet Mr. Shinde on the eve of Id.

The Centre on Saturday attributed the spread of panic among the northeast people in States such as Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra to rumours from Pakistan. It confirmed that 76 websites had circulated morphed pictures, most of which were uploaded in Pakistan, in a bid to spread hate and violence, and blocked them.

On Sunday, the Centre blocked 80 more sites which, according to informed sources, were found hosting inflammatory and objectionable contents.

Both Mr. Shinde and Mr. Malik agreed to pursue cooperation in rooting out terror in all its form and manifestation. Thanking Mr. Malik for the cooperation, Mr. Shinde hoped the gesture would improve the relations.

The two discussed other issues too and Mr. Malik is said to have stressed on Pakistan’s commitment to bringing to justice those behind the Mumbai terror attack. He invited Mr. Shinde to Islamabad to sign a revised visa treaty.

11 thrown out of train, two die

Shiv Sahay Singh reports from Kolkata:

Two persons were killed and nine injured, some of them seriously, after being thrown out of a Guwahati-bound special train from Bangalore in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, railway officials said on Sunday.

The train was carrying northeast people fleeing Bangalore following rumours that those from the region would be attacked.

The incident occurred at 9.30 p.m. on Saturday between Belakoba and Raninagar shortly after the train left New Jalpaiguri station.

Spokesperson of the North East Frontier Railway S Hazong said, “Two persons have died and the nine injured were admitted to the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital.” Security would be stepped up on Guwahati-bound trains, he added.

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