Jammu, Sept 15: At least 300 social media accounts were blocked within three days after police detected a coordinated attempt to stoke unrest in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district following the detention of AAP MLA Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act (PSA), officials said.
According to sources, several accounts traced to Pakistan became active on Facebook, X and Instagram within hours of Malik’s arrest, posting morphed images and provocative messages urging locals to hit the streets and even inciting them to burn the Kathua jail where the legislator was lodged.
Some handlers within Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of India also amplified the propaganda. IT teams of Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts worked to identify the accounts and approached police stations to register FIRs against those operating locally.
“Many of the posts were far from reality. For instance, one account uploaded a rally picture from Day 1, claiming it was Day 4, even though the situation had normalised by then. Some even used photos from other states and passed them off as protests in Doda,” a source said.
Officials confirmed that requests have been sent to Facebook, X and Instagram to block the accounts traced outside J&K, with sufficient material provided to prove that the content was provocative and aimed at inciting violence.
DIG Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban Range Sridhar Patil said strict monitoring was carried out by IT cells in all three districts. “They did yeoman’s job in identifying accounts spreading hatred and false propaganda. Action as warranted under law has been initiated,” he said.
