NEW DELHI: Delhi Police has stepped up its monitoring of social media platforms amid the student protests at Jantar Mantar and violence during the July 20 ‘Sansad Chalo’ march, directing platforms to remove posts and videos containing offensive and abusive remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, officials said on Monday.Police said several such posts have already been taken down following notices issued to social media intermediaries.According to Delhi Police, several posts containing abusive language against the Prime Minister appeared across social media platforms during the protests and the violence that followed in the national capital.The force’s social media monitoring team has been continuously scanning online platforms to identify such content, officials said.Once objectionable posts are detected, notices are issued to the respective social media intermediaries, directing them to remove the content.Police said several crude comments and videos containing abusive language directed at the Prime Minister have already been removed following the notices.The monitoring exercise remains underway, with cyber and social media teams keeping a close watch on online activity related to the protests to identify further offensive posts and take appropriate action against content found to violate applicable rules.The development comes amid heightened political tensions over the July 20 ‘Chalo Sansad’ march, during which students protesting irregularities in the NEET and CBSE examinations clashed with security personnel while marching from Jantar Mantar towards Parliament.The Opposition, including the Congress, on Monday moved several adjournment motions in the Lok Sabha and suspension of business notices in the Rajya Sabha, seeking an immediate discussion on what it described as the “brutal and disproportionate” use of force by security personnel against students during the protest.According to Delhi Police sources, at least 130 police personnel and around 65 students were injured during the demonstrations, while 15 FIRs have been registered in connection with the violence.Police also said around 3,000 personnel have been deployed in and around Jantar Mantar, where an average of 10,000 people have been gathering daily since the protests intensified.Delhi Police further said Facial Recognition System (FRS) cameras are being used to identify anti-social elements entering the protest site.The force claimed that more than 2,000 individuals with criminal records had been identified through the exercise.Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has questioned the use of force against students, demanding accountability over the alleged deployment of pellet guns and other measures during the July 20 crackdown, while the Delhi Police has maintained that anti-social elements resorted to violence, prompting police action.(With ANI inputs)
