Police have started monitoring social media posts related to information on the prevailing tension between India and Pakistan.
A few that originated from the districts, and could have hurt national sovereignty, were pulled down, and cases were started, said sources in the state home department.
Sharing fake information to create panic among civilians or spreading sensitive information that could compromise official details would be dealt with legally, senior police officers said.
“We are keeping a close watch on cyberspace. Anything that originates from Bengal and becomes a cause of panic or creates disharmony will be immediately pulled down. We came across a few such posts recently. They have been removed. Specific cases have been started,” said an officer of the rank of additional director-general of Bengal police.
Kolkata Police, too, have initiated a watch for fake news.
“We have activated our social media monitoring cell to keep an eye on information on the Internet. If anything objectionable is noticed, we will pull it down,” said an officer.
Seventeen districts of Bengal, including Calcutta, have been identified as civil defence districts that need preparedness in case of a full-fledged war.
The Press Information Bureau (PIB) identified at least seven social media posts that were fact-checked between 10pm on Thursday and 6.30am on Friday and found fake. The posts were removed to “protect the national interest and sovereignty of the nation”.
One of them was a video being passed off as footage of a drone attack on Jalandhar. It was widely circulated. PIB probed the video and found it was of an unrelated farm fire.
Another video post claimed an Indian post was destroyed by the Pakistani army. It was shared and amplified by fake and unverified accounts, army officials said. PIB found it was false, since there is no unit called “20 Raj Battalion” in the Indian Army.
“It is important to show restraint before sharing any information on the present condition. Blindly forwarding a post on WhatsApp or sharing a video you got on social media or through an unverified source could make you culpable in sharing fake news,” said a senior Kolkata Police officer.
Those sharing fake news related to the India-Pakistan situation could face police summons or even arrest.
“When an objectionable post is spotted, the first step is to pull it down. Depending on its nature, the person can be warned or summoned to the police headquarters. In case of repeated offence or if the post has an adverse impact, it may lead to arrest,” said an officer.