websites with provocative content blocked:Assam violence

MUMBAI: The cyber crime investigation cell (CCIC) of the city police has blocked three websites that were showing provocative videos of violence against Muslims in Myanmar. The police have also identified at least 25 videos on various websites that show killing of Muslims in Assam and Myanmar.

The duration of the videos is between six minutes and 10 minutes. Investigators believe the provocative content of the videos had fanned anger, resulting in violence in south Mumbai on August 11.

Additional commissioner of police (detection, crime branch) Niket Kaushik said, "We have gone through all the videos and clippings and found that some of these were doctored. The images used were not of the violence in Assam or Myanmar. We have also blocked several blogs that were discussing these issues."

Kaushik said the police have written to service providers and sought information on internet protocol (IP) addresses of websites from where these videos were uploaded. "Until we get the information, it will be difficult to say where the videos were uploaded from," said Kaushik.

"These provocative clippings were sold in the form of an MMS for Rs 10 each a few days before the riots. We are also keeping tabs on some mobile memory card dealers who had upload videos in the cards. If found guilty, action will be taken against them," said a crime branch officer.

Sources said a clipping titled "Muslim being burnt in Burma" is actually that of a Tibetan protestor who had set himself ablaze two years ago. Source-TOI
Mateen Hafeez, TNN | Aug 19, 2012, 01.54AM IST 

Facebook, Twitter to be shut in India? North-East exodus

Aug 17: It seems that the central and state governments' appeal to North East people not to leave Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune and other cities fell on deaf ears. The exodus of North Eastern people continue to leave for their home states, despite assurances. Amid the grave situation, many have started demanding to shutdown social networking sites in the country for some time to prevent the spreading of such rumours.

Joining Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil, a Samajwadi Party MP, Ramgopal Yadav also stated in Rajya Sabha that social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter should be closed for a few days to prevent the spreading of rumours that are prompting thousands of Northeastern students and people to flee to their home.

The MP along with many other officials believe that social networking sites were being misused to spread rumours on ethnic clashes between the Bodos and Muslims in Assam.

Earlier, Mr Patil was quoted as saying, "We are requesting the central government in helping shut down social networking sites found involved in spreading rumours."

"I have asked police to set aside routine work if need be and concentrate on providing security to people from North East who live in Maharashtra," added Mr Patil.

According to rumours, some unidentified group allegedly circulated some SMSs and emails threatening North-East people to leave the cities before Ramazan. They allegedly have been threatened of attack in metro cities.

Here arises a question for the government and other officials who have been urging to shutdown the social networking sites in the country - can such move really assure the safety of people from North-East who have so far been neglected in their own country?

Mass exodus continued for the second straight day on Friday with three more packed trains leaving for Guwahati. There was a commotion in the Bangalore railway stations with police trying hard to pacify the North Eastern citizens.

Similar kind of hullabaloo was seen in Hyderabad, Chennai and Mysore as well. However, assuring about their security, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday stated, "At all cost we will ensure peace and harmony in the country. We would like all state governments to work with local communities to this effect." Source-Oneindia

Nairita  Friday, August 17, 2012, 14:18 [IST