Cops watch cyber space to check Bengal clash

Apart from maintaining peace in the trouble-torn region and keeping the criminal gangs at bay, the cops in West Bengal have a more difficult task. They need to keep a constant eye on a more potential and dangerous threat—internet. In the last few communal instances in the state, it had been typically noticed, that communal tension was further fuelled by social-media mischief-makers who keep on sharing instigating posts, messages, videos, clips and at times photo-shopped images. In last two days of Asansol-Raniganj violence, Kolkata Police had removed at least 25 posts, those could trigger fresh trouble in the area and other places. In fact, this happened at a time when the internet remained suspended in the affected areas of Raniganj-Asansol.

While these posts were removed by the cyber-crime section of Kolkata Police since these were originated from Kolkata and outskirts, the cyber crime department of CID is also working on to minimize the chances of such posts getting circulated from other districts across the state.

“We are closely watching the cyber space. Our team is continuously deleting such misleading posts. There will be serious action against people who will violate the sections of IT act and post malicious or fake content online,” said Parveen Tripathi, Joint CP, crime, Kolkata Police.


Despite internet services being suspended in the affected area, a huge number of such clips, videos, photos and contents are getting circulated through what’s app, twitter and Face Book following Ram Navami celebrations and the consequent clashes. The cyber crime department of West Bengal police working hard to keep a tab on such posts.

Police also mulls action against some senior politicians for initiating certain misleading hash tags against the chief minister Mamata Banerjee and for posting some “malicious” contents.

In July, 2017 the communal disruption in Baduria in North 24 Paragana was a grim and glaring example of how the social media provocated social discord. According to the official statistic with the state police administration, there had been as many as seven communal flare-ups in a month in West Bengal before the Baduria incident. All of them were triggered by social media posts. Every time, there are instances of internet driven riots in areas which are located adjacent to actual area of the conflict.

Meanwhile, with two fresh casualties in Asansol-Raniganj area on Thursday, the death toll in clashes following Ram Navami celebrations in Bengal reached five. Political observers claim, the situation turns grim with both the political parties –BJP and TMC – indulging into the celebration of Ram Navami by taking out processions and thereby turning it into a blatant show of strength.