The seemingly tit-for-tat double murders with overt communal overtones in the neighbouring Alappuzha district seems to have put the Ernakulam Rural police on high alert.
As a precautionary measure against any potential communal discord, the police have beefed up patrol in the virtual world too. As many as 13 cases have been registered for inflammatory posts and comments on social media handles and groups in the last two days.
Separate cases were registered at the cyber station in Ernakulam Rural and North Paravur, Kothamangalam, Muvattupuzha, Chottanikkara, Kalloorkkad, Aluva, Alangad, Binanipuram, Edathala, Angamaly, Chengamanad, Nedumbassery and Perumbavoor police stations.
“The cyber station has been asked to devote fully to detect social media rankling with potential to incite communal hatred and create communal discord, besides exhorting for riots. All police stations have been asked to keep an eye on social media and register cases where cognizable offences are detected. Arrests will also be made wherever necessary invoking relevant charges,” said District Police Chief (Ernakulam Rural) K. Karthik.
An officer said hate-mongering in social media groups with communal overtones was way too toxic, with participants baying for the death of those from rival outfits. “The venom being spewed is unbelievable, and the exhortations for violence are so intense,” he said.
The police are closely monitoring social media posts of suspicious accounts. However, the Rural police are treading cautiously nevertheless, since a recent incident of ascribing potential “terrorist links” in the custody application of three Congress activists arrested for participating in protests following the death of law student Mofia Parveen had brought it brickbats, besides leading to the suspension of two officers.
Two murders in quick succession of activists belonging to rival ideologies of the SDPI and the RSS in Alappuzha recently had rung alarm bells in the neighbouring Ernakulam district too over fear of communal discords.
