Manipur Police activates Social Media Cells in all districts to monitor unlawful content

Manipur Police has issued an order, on July 15, to set up 'social media cells' in all districts to monitor 'unlawful content' on social media platforms. According to the circular released by the department, social media posts that pose "detrimental effects on law and order" shall be considered improper. Manipur Police Department instructed all the Superintendents of Police (SP), the Additional DGP Manipur (Intelligence) to "continuously monitor all posts/uploads/comments posted in all dialects of Manipur."

According to the notice, the members have to bring to the notice of the Additional DGP all "unlawful contents, communal posts, etc." disseminated across social media. The Manipur Social Media Cells were activated in 2020, following an order from the District General of Police (DGP).

DGP activates Social Media Cells following the arrest of activist and journalist

“For effective monitoring of social media platforms and for taking prompt legal action, all district SPs should establish social media monitoring cells in their respective units immediately,” the order dated July 15 read.

The move comes at the heels of the arrest of Imphal-based political activist Leichombam Erendro and journalist Kishorechandra Wangkhem under the National Security Act (NSA) in May this year. They were detained over a critical remark about cow dung being used for COVID-19, on Facebook, following the death of former Bharatiya Janata Party Chief and retired professor Saikhom Tikendra Singh. Even though Erendro has been released on bail as allowed by the Supreme Court, Wangkhem continues to serve in prison.

The Social Media Cell circular has requested technical help from the Cyber Crime Police station to enable smoother functions in locating unlawful and unsocial content. The SPs shall present a fortnightly record of their findings and actions on such posts to the ADGP, who is said to head the cell. The reports shall be mandatory on the 3rd and 18th of every month, with effect from the 2nd fortnight of July.

Need for social media cells

The SPs have been asked to take "prompt legal action" as and when required "immediately" in their respective districts. Although no clear motive has been specified on the latest activation of the monitoring cells, an anonymous senior police officer informed that Manipur would only benefit from the surveillance, which can prevent people from creating "unwanted tension" with unsocial content on social media. Meanwhile, Manipur AGDP (Intelligence) has remained unavailable for comment.

(Input from several agencies)