The Aligarh Police in Uttar Pradesh have booked 11 people since Monday for allegedly posting inflammatory content following the murder of a two-and-a-half-year-old girl last week, PTI reported.
Senior Superintendent of Police Akash Kulhari said that cases under the Information Technology Act have been registered against 11 people at the Civil Lines police station over the past two days for allegedly posting fake and inflammatory content on social media. The police have been monitoring all posts on the matter and had previously warned that punitive steps would be taken against anti-social elements.
The Aligarh district administration had suspended internet services in Khair tehsil on Monday amid rumours on social media. It was restored late on Tuesday. “This ban [on internet services] was imposed yesterday [Monday] to prevent misuse of social media by some mischievous elements, who were deliberately spreading fake and inflammatory posts ever since the horrific murder of a two-and-half-year-old girl,” said District Magistrate Chandra Bhushan Singh.
Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which bans the assembly of five or more people, remained clamped in Tappal, where the child was murdered. Sinh said the situation in Tappal remained peaceful on Tuesday.
The girl was allegedly kidnapped on May 31 and a first information report was filed at the Tappal police station the same day. The child’s body was found on June 2 in a garbage dump, following which tension has prevailed in Tappal town. The police have so far arrested four people in connection with the case.
Tappal Circle Officer Pankaj Srivastava was suspended on Monday, while five other police officials were suspended last week.
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