The police in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara district arrested 10 persons for allegedly spreading rumours about an alleged shortage in fuel and liquefied petroleum gas, PTI reported on Thursday.
All 10 of them were released after completing legal formalities.
The arrests came amid disruptions in energy supplies to India since the conflict in West Asia broke out on February 28. Iran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of global petroleum liquids supply passes, for most commercial ships.
This has affected LPG supplies in India. The country imports about 60% of its LPG demand, most of it from Gulf countries.
However, the Union government has repeatedly said that there is no shortage of LPG in the country.
In Bhilwara, Superintendent of Police Dharmendra Singh said that several persons had been spreading rumours about an alleged energy shortage, “though there is nothing like that”, The Indian Express reported.
“The administration and the government have continuously clarified that there is no dearth anywhere,” he said, adding that the public should not be misled.
Preventive action has been taken against persons spreading rumours by arresting them, Singh said.
“We are constantly monitoring social media; lawful action will be taken against all those indulging in such acts,” he said. “And if they violate the rules, a case will be filed too”.
In a statement, the police alleged that the persons accused in the matter were spreading false and misleading information on social media to “mislead the public and create an atmosphere of fear” in society, and “increase views and followers” on the platform, the newspaper reported.
Unidentified police officers told PTI that 10 social media accounts spreading misinformation about the situation to gain followers had been identified and action had been taken against them.
All of them were made to delete the videos before they were released, the officers added.
Among those arrested were the persons behind “Berozgaar Boyzz”, a page on the social media platform Instagram that has more than 1.4 million followers, The Indian Express reported.
The arrests were made from several police station areas on Tuesday, according to PTI.
The police also released videos in which the persons accused in the matter apologised for their actions.
In one of them, a person is heard saying that he had made the videos with comedic intent, The Indian Express reported. Another said that uploading such a video was a mistake, adding that there was no shortage of gas in Bhilwara.
The conflict in West Asia began after Israel and the United States launched an attack on Iran on February 28, claiming that Tehran’s action posed an existential threat to Israel. Washington acts as a guarantor of Israel’s security. Iran has retaliated by striking Israel and US military bases in the region and targeting major cities in Gulf countries.
Israel has been claiming that Iran is close to obtaining a nuclear weapon, which could alter the regional security balance. Tehran has long maintained that its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes.
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