Curb net to control Muzaffarnagar riots, says Wajahat Habibullah

NEW DELHI: National Commission for Minorities chief Wajahat Habibullah has said curbs on internet were needed during riots as inflammatory material were used over the Net to cause a flare-up in Muzaffarnagar.

“We are hearing that some three-year-old footage from Pakistan has been used to create panic among certain communities. Last year, similar footage were used to create panic among northeastern students in Karnataka, Mumbai and Pune. While riots are always fuelled by rumours, the internet amplifies the speed with which this spreads and videos make them look authentic,” Habibullah told ET.

“We do know Mayawati had declared that the SP had cornered votes of a particular community in the last polls. Has it led to other communities feeling insecure? It certainly raises suspicion in the lay man that UP has been made a target for communal fermentation,” Wajahat Habibullah said.