Bhopal: Tuesday night became nightmare for a few, when they received messages about communal riots in Bhopal. People immediately called their family members to return home as soon as possible. By late night, WhatsApp and Facebook were flooded with posts about riots. Pictures of burnt cars, bleeding people, deployed police were all over social media. The forwarded messages included texts like Curfew wali Mata mandir being demolished, a boy’s throat slit by mob, ongoing firing between two communities etc. Without authenticating the information, the messages were shared vigorously.
Interestingly, after 1 am, the internet of all the networks stopped working and it resumed functioning after 9 am in the morning on Wednesday. Though, there is no official circulation about internet shutdown, people reported that internet did not work.
People on social media also condemned the use of this fast medium to spread rumours. Mohsin Khan posted on his Facebook wall and requested people to stop forwarding texts on WhatsApp and Facebook about riots and to trust the administration. Arpit Sharma, posted ‘Bhopal misaal hai, ise misaal rehne de. Masla na banaye. Let peace be the way’.
Amrita Das, freelance legal writer
“Social media is a platform to present our views but nowadays people take others’ views more seriously without verifying them. The messages spread on social media platform created more issues in Bhopal yesterday. To keep peace in the city, people are requested to not trust or act upon the messages forwarded to them. We should use social media as a boon and not make it a bane by just throwing everything and anything coming to us.”
Shilpa Kashyap, employee of private company
“Whatsapp was filled with messages about riots. We actually got scared after seeing the pictures and videos being forwarded. Later, we saw on news and friends told us that things are under control and that there are many rumours about the issue. Such messages can provoke more disturbances and people don’t realise it. Instead of messages about keeping peace and being united people start preaching nationalism and provoke religious sentiments.”
