Kolkata cops keep a hawk eye on social media for Mamata Banerjee's critics

KOLKATA: The West Bengal government has started monitoring social media as an increasing number of people voice their opinion, express their grievances or criticise those in authority via Facebook and Twitter. A home department source said that criticism of abusive nature or posting inflammatory content may soon land one in trouble. The police can take stringent action against a repeat offender.

CID and other police agencies, including the Kolkata city police and five commissionerates are shadowing posts and accounts critical of Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and other senior government functionaries. Cyber experts' teams have been formed under cyber-crime sections of different police agencies. In a couple of months, many people were summoned by the CID and Kolkata police agencies and they were asked to refrain from posting "abusive and inflammatory" content against the CM.

"There is a difference between abuse and criticism. People are free to criticise a political personality . But posting abuses on social networking sites or making vulgar pictures of the head of the state come under cyber crime offences. We have chalked out parameters to determine whether it is an abuse," said a senior police official.

Explaining the difference he said, "If a person criticises the government or any other functionary , it will not count as an abuse. But if somebody posts an unrefined, morphed picture of the chief minister, it comes under cyber crime. Police can take action based on a complaint or a suo moto case can be reg istered .There are such sections under IPC. A person can be held liable for posting any obscene content against any important government functionary ."

CID Surajit Kar Purakayastha told ET, "Cyber crime is a serious concern. Every organisation should handle it in the right manner."

Professor Ambikesh Mahapatra of Jadavpur University was arrested in 2012 for forwarding an email that featured Banerjee and two senior ministers. The case is still pending.

Police submitted charge sheet in July , 2012 and it was accepted in June, 2013 by the court. "There have been 27 hearings in the last four years and the court issued only five orders. I still believe, this is a blatant attack on free speech," Prof Mahapatra told ET.

The issue has again come to the fore with the detention of Rohit Pashi, a resident of Malbazzar in Jalpaiguri district (North Bengal). Pahsi was detained by the police on Saturday for criticising an elected TMC member on Facebook without naming him, though. Based on the TMC leaders's complaint, Pashi was picked up and made to sign a 'peace' bond of Rs 2000 under section 107 of CrPC.