Amid the ongoing student protests, Delhi Police on Thursday said it had identified and blocked around 480 social media handles originating from Pakistan for allegedly spreading fake and misleading content related to the student protest.
Event Context
The police said these accounts were attempting to take advantage of the situation by circulating misinformation and misleading posts, urging students and the public not to fall prey to unverified content.
The warning comes amid the ongoing Cockroach Janta Party’s protest at Jantar Mantar, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Pradhan over the NEET paper leak row.
In a video message, Delhi Police said misinformation was being circulated on social media and that several Pakistan-based handles had been found involved in spreading fake content.
“We have noticed that some misinformation is being spread in social media. More than 400 Pakistani social media handles have been identified so far, who are taking advantage of this situation and spreading fake content and rumours. They are being blocked,” the police said.
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The police further claimed that the identified accounts were the same handles that had been active during Operation Sindoor.
Delhi Police said the purpose of these accounts was to provoke people and distract students amid the protests.
“They have only one purpose, to incite people and especially to distract students,” the police said.
Appealing for caution, the police urged students not to get influenced by fake posts, edited videos or content shared by anonymous accounts.
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“My appeal to you is that for the safety of children, do not get incited by any fake posts, edited videos or posts made by anonymous handles,” the police said.
Pakistan on Thursday refused to comment on the ongoing Cockroach Janta Party protests, calling it an internal matter of India.
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On being asked if Indian administration dealing “harshly” with the protestors in India accounts for human rights violation, Pakistan’s foreign affairs spokesperson, Tahir Andrabi, said, “This is an internal matter of India. We do not offer comments on such matters.”
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Thursday continued its protest for the 34th consecutive day, demanding the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak.
Thousands of supporters continued to gather at the protest site at Jantar Mantar. The turnout has increased since the party’s ‘Sansad Chalo’ march on July 20, during which clashes broke out between protesters and police, with reports alleging that security personnel resorted to a lathi charge and tear gas.
