CAA: Delhi police to write to social media platforms

With social media posts being used to mobilise protesters against Citizenship Amendment Act, Delhi Police will be writing to Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp to take action against some handles spreading "rumour and misinformation" to fuel the agitations.

Officials said the situation was normal in the national capital on Wednesday, a day after a protest in north-east Delhi's Seelampur turned violent. At least eight people, including two on Wednesday, have been arrested while registering three FIRs in connection with the violence.

Eighteen people have also been taken into preventive custody, fearing that there was a possibility that they might indulge in mischief.

Authorities have imposed Section 144 of CrPC in some localities of north-east Delhi to maintain law and order even as a number of police personnel have been deployed to ensure that no untoward incident takes place.

Even as police and paramilitary personnel carried out a flag march in Seelampur, senior Delhi Police officials are also engaging with senior local people in the locality to ensure that no protest turn violent. Officials said police used drones to monitor the protests and examining the footage to identify the trouble-makers.

Police have already identified a number of people involved in the violence other than those arrested. Action is being initiated against them after assessing the footage from drone cameras.

Officials also said Delhi Police will be approaching Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter to gather information about some handles which were indulging in spreading fake news and false information on social media.

"We are monitoring social media for misinformation and rumour. All such posts would be investigated. We have identified some of them. We will take strict action against them," a senior official said. Authorities were specifically concerned about certain videos which were spread on social media.