Mob Lynchings: Centre Issues Advisory To States & UTs, Asks Them To Keep A Watch On Social Media Rumours

New Delhi, July 5: The Centre has written to all states and Union Territories to take steps to prevent incidents of mob violence due to child lifting rumours being circulated on social media. The Ministry of Home Affairs in a statement said that they have "urged them to keep a watch for early detection of such rumours and initiate effective measures."

Centre has also asked states and UTs to ensure effective investigation into cases of child abduction to instill confidence among the affected people. "States & UTs have been asked to direct District Administrations to identify vulnerable areas and conduct community outreach programmes for creating awareness and building confidence," the MHA statement added.

Earlier, a notice was also issued to WhatsApp top brass by the Ministry of Electronics, Information and Technology on Tuesday asking them to stop the spreading of fake messages through the app. Responding to the notice, the US-based social media platform said fake news, misinformation, and hoaxes can be checked by the government, civil society and technology companies working together.

Over 20 people have been lynched over suspicion of being child lifters in different parts of the country over the past one month. The lynchings, reported across several states including Tripura, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, were caused primarily due to the rumour of a child-lifting gang being in operation.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 05, 2018 01:53 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).