Police trawl the Internet to tackle trolls

Efforts on to identify members from rival political groups spreading false information about each other

Magnified illustration with the word Social Media on white background.

The Social Media Lab of the Mumbai Police is monitoring the social media to quell attempts by political rivals to spread false information. Additional personnel have been deployed in areas known to strongholds of the BJP and the Shiva Sena.

Mudslinging

The 20-year-old alliance was severed ahead of polls on January 26. Since then, members of both parties have been slinging mud at each other in their campaign speeches. Off late, messages on social media and WhatsApp have been doing the rounds about candidates from the rival parties violating the model code of conduct by distributing money or indulging in other malpractices. However, on verification by the police, they turned out to be false.

A senior police officer said, “We have been watching the social media and verifying every suspicious message on a priority basis. We have also put a mechanism in place to send out clarifications about such messages and ensure they reach as many WhatsApp groups as possible. Senior officers like Deputy Commissioners of Police have been asked to personally send out the clarifications.”

The same treatment is given to Facebook and Twitter posts so that rumours do not lead to law and order problems. “Tracing the source, however, is easier said that done owing to anonymity offered by the Internet, ” the officer added.

The police have assigned extra personnel from the Local Arms Division, the State Reserve Police Force and the Home Guards to ensure peaceful polling in the strongholds of the Shiv Sena and the BJP.

Mumbai Police spokesperson DCP Ashok Dudhe said, “We have taken all possible precautions to ensure that there are no law and order problems. Ample personnel have been assigned all over the city to maintain peace.”