Police don’t want communal tension during Ganeshotsav & Bakri-Eid
Mumbai : The Mumbai Police will keep a careful watch on social media during the festivals of Ganeshotsav and the upcoming Bakri-Eid. The police have been especially instructed by the home department to keep a vigil on WhatsApp messages as no rumors should be spread due to which social harmony could be hampered.
The home department has instructed the local police to be prepared for the two big festivals of two different communities. The police will have to maintain the law and order situation to maintain peace and will make extra arrangements for the festivals.
The police have also been instructed not to deploy extra personnel unnecessarily on the roads. If there is any tension, instead of calling the police forces, the local police officers have to inform the local community leaders and handle the situation smoothly with their help.
According to a senior Mumbai Police official, if there is any tension that breaks out, the public becomes more violent following intervention from the police. “So it is better to handle the situation under the guidance of local leaders, as public sentiment can be fragile during such incidents,” the officer said. “But this doesn’t mean that there would be no police interference — if the apolice realise that the situation is getting out of control, then the police will apply their own strategy to control it,” the officer added.
An official from the home department said that the local police have been instructed to handle the situation and the crowd carefully. “There is even special instruction to keep a vigil on social media outlets such as WhatsApp. WhatsApp is easily available and every alternate person has the facility on his smartphone. Nowadays people share many things through this media. Sometimes, they share sensitive issues without verifying it, which might create tension among two different groups. So the police will be more careful about it,” said the home department official.
“There will even be an arrangement in the cyber cell to trace people sharing such sensitive messages,” he said.
Pandurang Mhaske
