Mumbai police register 85 FIRs and arrest 11 people for spreading communally-coloured messages on social media
A woman reads a hoarding on awareness for COVID-19 at a best bus stop at the AC Market on Saturday at Tardeo. Pic/Bipin Kokate
State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh too has said on his Twitter account that, "There'll be zero tolerance for bigotry. Brazen attempts to communalise the spread of the #CoronaPandemic has been brought to my notice. As Home Minister I've asked @MahaCyber1 to act against those sharing false/old videos to create tension. Treat this as a warning... No misinformation or rumour mongering will be tolerated."
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray who has been applauded by netizens for his efforts in dealing with the pandemic has also tweeted, "Like Coronavirus, there is another virus that is emerging which is threatening social harmony, the virus of fake news and communal hatred. We will save Maharashtra from this crisis. But, if someone circulates fake news or videos, the law will catch up with them. They will not be spared. Don't do this even for fun."
"This is the first time that we are witnessing this level of communal content being shared on social media to give pandemic a religious colour. We are blocking all such content and sharing details with the local police for registration of FIRs," a senior officer of the Mumbai police said.
Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
