J&K police to criminalise social media content that promotes disharmony

Srinagar: Amid the row over a social media post viewed as blasphemy against Islam’s Prophet, the Jammu and Kashmir police has said that it will investigate thoroughly if the statements are being issued by various political leaders with the ulterior motive to stir up trouble and destroy the hard-earned peace in the Union Territory.

“It is a matter of investigation whether the statements-responsible or irresponsible-are part of freedom of expression and dissent or a conspiracy or a collusion with certain elements to further increase the circle of violence,” said DGP Rashmi Ranjan Swain while replying to a reporter’s query about the recent statements of former chief minister and People’s Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti and some other opposition politicians.

These statements were made amid protests by the students at various colleges in the Valley over a social media post of a non-local student at Srinagar’s National Institute of Technology (NIT) deemed blasphemous.

Mr. Swain said that it could be found out if the statements were meant to stir up trouble. He said, “It can be found out, the communication can be traced, discussions and meetings can be investigated to uncover any backdoor manipulation”.

While speaking to reporters in Jammu, the DGP said, “J&K police is the custodian of law. Wheels of the law would operate in a sense that if a particular action has been done deliberately with malicious intent that leads to loss of life, attacks, loss of property, they (political leaders) would be held responsible.”

He announced that posting any content on social media that promotes disharmony will be made a criminal offence in J&K by introducing a new provision under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

“We have decided to bring a law under (section) 144 CrPC on the posting of any type of content – message, video, audio – which will instigate communal disharmony and terrorise or threaten anyone. Whether they are terrorists, separatists, or anti-national elements, posting such messages and videos will be a crime as per the law,” he said. He, however, also said that prior to its enactment the new provision of law will be placed in the public domain for feedback.

Mr. Swain said that the people of J&K and the rest of the country have great respect for Prophet Muhammad and the police are duty bound to ensure nobody tries to breach it. “There is no place for hurting religious sentiments of any community. People who post videos, including those aimed to harm the respect of the Prophet, and those who forward it will be committing a crime,” he said, adding “We will index such people, ensuring they face disadvantages for having done such a thing”.

The DGP said that Pakistani social media handles generate and post content that are “shared by some elements locally to create trouble and harm peace”.
He reiterated, “Any sort of objectionable video, messages, texts or posts having potential to disrupt peace, vitiate communal frenzy, trigger violence, street protests, promote terrorism and separatists will be strictly dealt with as per the law.”

He said that if anybody receives texts or videos having potential to disturb peace should immediately contact the concerned police station. “The person shouldn’t be part of the circulation of the video or text that can fuel communal harmony and disrupt the peace,” the DGP added.