Assam Police's Digital Watchdog: Ensuring Election Integrity

Assam Police have formed a special cell under their CID to monitor social media platforms for harmful content ahead of Assembly elections. This unit ensures legal compliance, removing fake news and defamatory posts promptly. It has successfully addressed multiple cases with a 100% content removal rate.

As the Assembly elections approach, Assam Police have strengthened their vigilance on social media to prevent the spread of disruptive content. A dedicated team within the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is tasked with monitoring and removing malicious posts that could disturb peace and order.

The special cell, operational since March 20, has achieved a 100 percent success rate in taking down harmful content. It has processed 17 cases involving 27 profiles, leading to one FIR and the arrest of a main culprit by March 29. These efforts follow guidelines from the Election Commission to tackle fake news during election periods.

Special Director General of Police, CID, Munna Prasad Gupta, highlighted that the unit responds swiftly to both central and district-level complaints. Collaboration with social media platforms is continuous, ensuring quick action on takedown requests. Legal procedures include preserving digital evidence and liaising with platforms to extract necessary data under the Information Technology Act.

(With inputs from agencies.)