‘Fake news’ spreads panic among students
FAKE NOTICE AND VIDEO ASKING PG, COACHING CENTRES TO SHUT DOING ROUNDS IN DELHI; POLICE DENY ANY SUCH ACTION
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Wednesday registered a case after “fake notices” and a video ordering the closure of coaching centres, paying guest (PG) accommodations, libraries and restaurants in northwest Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar went viral.
The video also had the police purportedly asking students to return to their native places or face action if they participated in any protests.
The notice and video, widely shared on social media, had worried students and PG facility owners in the region, which is known to be a hub for those preparing for competitive examinations.
Police said that the video clip was doctored with intent to disturb peace and show the city police in a bad light. They said that the “single-page police notices” pasted at some PG accommodations and coaching centres, attributing it to the station house officer (SHO) of Mukherjee Nagar police station in this regard were also fake.
“Fake messages are circulating in social media on closure of Pgs/hostels in Mukherjee Nagar area. We have registered a case against these fake messages. Appeal to all citizens to not believe these rumours (Sic),” Arya tweeted from the official handle of DCP (northwest).
Deputy commissioner of police (northwest) Vijayanta Arya said, “We have registered a case of making a false documents, using a forged electronic record as genuine and identity theft under sections 464, 471 of IPC and 66(C) of IT Act. We have written to social media platforms to remove such objectionable contents as it has been edited so as to place it out of context. Those involved in such rumour mongering will be punished.”
The police said that the officer seen in the video was an assistant commissioner of police (ACP). They said that the officer did address a group of students in Mukherjee Nagar on the night of December 22, two days before the video clip was posted on social media. They have, however, clarified that the audio of the video was edited and that much of the content heard in the video were not spoken by the police officer.
A senior police officer, who did not wish to be named, said that the ACP had gone to address students because the police control room had received a call the previous night (December 21) that some students were creating ruckus in the neighbourhood.
The local police had also received intelligence inputs that scores of students from the same neighbourhood had planned to carry out a protest march against the new citizenship law to Mandi House on December 23, the officer said.
“The ACP urged them not to participate in such protests or processions as prohibitory orders [Section 144 of the criminal procedure code] was in place. The ACP informed them about the legal repercussions that they would happen if they violated these orders. He denied saying anything about ordering the closure of hostels and coaching institutes or asking the students to leave for their native homes,” the officer said.
In the viral video, the officer is purportedly telling people that PGS, libraries, coaching centres and restaurants in Mukherjee Nagar will be shut from December 24 evening to January 2. He is heard purportedly advising students to book tickets and leave for their homes, considering it their winter break.