Delhi Police is monitoring social media platforms to curb the spread of misinformation amid protests in the capital, with around 300 posts allegedly aimed at spreading rumours or creating public unrest taken down, police sources said, according to PTI on Monday.
The action comes amid heightened tensions following protests against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and allegations of police misconduct during the demonstrations. Police are scanning online platforms to identify fabricated videos, misleading claims and content that could potentially disturb public order. Further action is being taken against posts found to be spreading misinformation or attempting to incite unrest, they added. The case is being investigated separately from allegations of sexual harassment levelled against police personnel by women journalists. Delhi Police had detained several protesters and key figures during the demonstrations, citing the lack of permission for the protest.
The crackdown on misleading content comes days after the arrest of a 24-year-old man, identified as Nadeem Ahmed, for allegedly using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to create and circulate a fabricated video depicting a police officer sexually harassing a woman journalist during a protest against the CEC.
The police have also approached social media platform X, seeking the removal of objectionable and allegedly misleading content linked to the protests, according to PTI. Ahmed allegedly circulated the video falsely portraying a police personnel in an objectionable manner, according to police. The development comes against the backdrop of protests organised by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar, where demonstrators demanded Kumar’s resignation over allegations of “vote chori”.
