Hate posts: 32 FIRS registered in 72 hrs in UP

Thirty two FIRs have been registered in the past 72 hours in Uttar Pradesh related to hate posts on the social media, following the murder of Hindu Samaj Party leader Kamlesh Tiwari.

"The murder of Kamlesh Tiwari, the upcoming festival season, intelligence inputs of terror threats and the impending Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya dispute has made the situation rather vulnerable.

"The social media has emerged as a volatile platform for spreading hatred and we are taking no chances," said an official in the social media monitoring cell.

Though the UP Police have not yet booked any offender under the National Security Act (NSA) but the official said, "If any content on social media leads to major problems, we will not hesitate in slapping NSA on those responsible for it."

Inspector General (Law and Order) Praveen Kumar said that there had been a surfeit of hate posts on the social media after October 18 when Kamlesh Tiwari was killed.

"We have got blocked 178 social media accounts. The social media monitoring cell at the DGP headquarters has been regularly keeping a watch on the social media. We cannot allow outbursts that can disturb social harmony," the official said.

The state police are keeping a close watch on social media in view of the prevailing situation.IANS