Today (5th March): The Madhya Pradesh (MP) government has informed the Supreme Court about the ongoing surveillance of hate speech cases. District cyber cells are actively monitoring social media platforms under the government’s directive.
Madhya Pradesh: Today, on March 5, The Madhya Pradesh government informed the Supreme Court about its comprehensive initiatives to combat hate speech and hate crimes within the state. Measures include the appointment of nodal officers at various levels and the establishment of social media cells.
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An affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court, each district’s superintendent of police and each commissionerate’s deputy commissioner of police have been designated as nodal officers to monitor anti-social elements and unruly individuals. Additionally, a social media cell, headed by a Deputy Superintendent of Police, has been established to monitor and promptly remove any hate speech-related content found on social media platforms.
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“A Social Media Cell has been constituted for constant monitoring on social media, and a Deputy Superintendent of Police level Officer has been appointed as its Nodal Officer. The Cell has been ordered to keep watch on the Social Media Platform constantly, and in the event of finding a Video/Post related to Hate Speech on Social Media, directions have been issued to remove the same and for taking action against the concerned persons,” the affidavit stated
This action follows the Supreme Court’s directive to address hate speech through suo motu proceedings. To this end, district-level Social Media Cells have been formed to monitor radical individuals and hate speech propagators, overseen by Additional Superintendents of Police. Officers and staff in the District Special Branch have also received training under the Graded Police Response System to effectively monitor hate speech.
Furthermore, the Cyber Cell at the District Headquarters Level has been tasked with vigilant monitoring of social media platforms, promptly informing senior officers of any hate speech-related uploads for immediate lawful action.
The Cyber Cell at the District Headquarters Level has been directed to keep a constant watch on social media platforms and to inform senior officers immediately in the event of uploading any video/reel related to hate speech. This ensures that immediate lawful action can be taken against the concerned persons as per the law,
the affidavit added.
These efforts were prompted by a series of petitions filed by lawyer Ashwani Upadhyay, urging the appointment of nodal officers nationwide to tackle hate speech and hate crimes effectively.