Cops keep vigil online

Since late Friday night, when news broke that the Supreme Court (SC) would deliver its verdict on the Ayodhya case on Saturday, social media users were occupied with the historic dispute.

Various platforms were abuzz with speculation till the verdict was pronounced on Saturday, and then comments and opinions on the SC judgment were in wide currency.

One of the most proactive social media accounts was that of Uttar Pradesh police. Several advisories were also tweeted, and Whatsapp groups were asked to activate the “administration only” mode to prevent circulation of misleading or divisive information.

By Saturday evening, trending on Twitter were “#Ayodhyajudgment”,

“#Muslims”, and “#Rammandir”, with a total of 500,000 tweets.

Videos related to the verdict were trending on Youtube, Facebook and Instagram. The UP Police Twitter handles tweeted several videos relating to the law and order situation, even posting one about how drones were used to keep a watch on the ground situation in sensitive areas.

To ensure the situation remains peaceful, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued an advisory to all television channels and cable TV operators to adhere to the programme code and ensure that debates, discussions, and visuals did not incite any “divisive” or “antinational” feelings.

Several discussions were also taking place on the newest social media platform, Mastodon, where several Twitter users have moved to protest against its policies.