J&K Police intensify social media surveillance to counter terror propaganda
Srinagar, May 18: In a move to curb online radicalisation, anti-national propaganda, and communal incitement, the Jammu and Kashmir Police have ramped up cyber surveillance and enforcement measures across the Union Territory.
Cyber cells have now been fully activated in every district, and hundreds of social media accounts are under watch for spreading extremist content and misinformation.
A senior official from Cyber Police Kashmir said that over the past three months alone, over 250 adverse social media handles have been identified for disseminating content linked to terrorism, separatism, and communal disharmony. “Out of these, over 120 handles are being operated from outside the country, many from Pakistan,” the official said, requesting anonymity.
“Legal action has been initiated against the key propagators. FIRs have been registered under relevant sections of the IPC and the UAPA. In addition, many of these accounts have been blocked or restricted through due process, in coordination with social media companies and central cyber agencies,” the official added.
Police are also pursuing preventive action against individuals found amplifying such content locally. “Security proceedings under relevant sections are underway in several cases,” the official said. In a parallel initiative, Cyber Police have adopted a softer approach for first-time offenders and vulnerable youth influenced by such propaganda. “We have counseled several individuals and handed them over to their families under a structured de-radicalisation programme,” he said. Last year, police had said they are preparing to invoke a new provision under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) to criminalize the posting, forwarding, or sharing of content that incites communal hatred or glorifies terrorism.
“Any content—video, audio, or text—that is designed to provoke communal disharmony or terrorize citizens will be a criminal offence under the new provision,” another senior police officer said. “It applies to terrorists, separatists, or anti-national elements. Those who post or forward such material will be held accountable.”
The intensified digital crackdown is seen as a key part of the broader counter-terrorism strategy in the Union Territory, especially as militant outfits increasingly turn to online platforms for recruitment and propaganda. The officer said that they have observed that certain hateful sectarian content, originally posted and later removed, has been downloaded/ saved by malicious individuals who are later circulating it widely on social media. “This behaviour is under close watch”.
