Strict action will be taken against people circulating malicious information on social media: Odisha DGP

The Odisha police on Saturday said that strict action will be taken against all those indulged in circulating malicious information on social media as such posts may create discord among communities. The warning was issued by the state's DGP Abhay while speaking at a media briefing here.

The chief minister has asked me to take strict action against such anti-social elements as per the law. If you come across such forwarded messages on any social platform, call the helplines of police and health department. Do not forward such messages, the DGP said. It has also been noticed that some unverified information related to coronavirus is being shared on social media platforms such as Twitter, WhatsApp and Facebook, he said.

"Law will come down heavily on such persons," he said. Meanwhile, Odisha governments Information and Public Relations department tweeted, As per the guidelines, no person, institution, media will use any print, electronic, social media for information regarding #COVID 19 without proper permission of DMET, DPH, DHS, collector or medical superintendent.

The governments COVID spokesperson Subroto Bagchi also said people using social media should be cautious about what they post. If they misuse the platform, especially, on any matter related to coronavirus, it wont take us long to trace their digital footprints and take action against them, Bagchi said.

The DGP also said that the 24-hour of the 48-hour shutdown in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Bhadrak has been a success. I thank the police and other personnel for their tireless efforts, he said.

More than 50 people in Bhubaneswar have been placed under compulsory quarantine for venturing out of their homes without any valid reason, the DGP said. As on today, over 2,700 cases have been registered for lockdown and shutdown violations. As many as 2,400 people were arrested and 400 vehicles seized, he said.

The DGP said from April 3 morning to April 4 morning, a total of 245 cases have been registered by the police for violations of different regulations and guidelines related to COVID-19..

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)