Haryana police officers told to take stern against people spreading hatred, rumours

Haryana DGP Manoj Yadava on Tuesday asked senior police officers in the state to take stern action against those spreading rumours or vitiating communal harmony in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. In a written communication to police commissioners and DSPs, Yadava asked them to accord the highest importance to prevent such incidents by taking "stern action against anti-social elements".

The DGP has asked them to focus on the maintenance of law and order by strictly enforcing the lockdown across the state, a spokesperson of state police said in a statement here. According to the spokesperson, keeping in view some reported incidents of targeting of a particular community, the DGP asked all police officers to be on alert and take precautionary measures.

"Such incidents not only result in rumour-mongering and misinformation but have the potential to damage the social fabric and vitiate the communal harmony," the DGP told police officers, adding that such issues divert the focus of the administration from the fight against COVID-19. So far, the state police have arrested 25 people for attacks on members of a particular community.

The DGP said police have so far arrested 32 people for spreading fake news or rumors on social media after registering 56 cases. He urged people to follow the lockdown norms by staying at home. He warned that anyone involved in spreading fake news/derogatory statements on social media or try to vitiate the communal harmony would be dealt with sternly.

Meanwhile, launching a crackdown against bootleggers, the Haryana Police on Tuesday said it has arrested 449 people for involvement in illegal storage/transportation/sale of liquor in 392 cases. Over 1.01 lakh bottles of illicit liquor were seized during the lockdown period, police added.

After the lockdown was imposed, the state government had ordered the shutting down of liquor vends across the state. "In addition, police have also impounded five cars, a motorcycle and two used in the illegal transportation of liquor," Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Navdeep Singh Virk said in a statement.

A maximum (51) cases against bootleggers were registered in Faridabad district followed by 43 in Hisar and 38 in Rohtak, he said..

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