THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A week ago, we saw how the youths, both from the state and outside, came together and used the social media productively in the time of flood crisis. Now, the state is witnessing the exact opposite, where the youngsters are engaged in an online war with their counterparts from the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu.
As the situation got worse on Friday, the police intervened in the issue, appealing the youngsters to refrain from engaging in mudslinging and maintain peace. Officials alerted IG
Manoj Abraham as well as cyber police before posting a message calling for peace on the
Facebook page.
The war of words started acouple of days ago in a popular online video sharing app, where a young man from Tamil Nadu uploaded a video of a marriage proposal to the girls in
Kerala “as all the young men here drowned in the flood”. Youngsters from both sides jumped into the fray and soon it escalated into an ugly spat.
“The youngsters’ job is done when they post a video. It is people like us, who has to face the consequences of their action,” said Varghese of Cherthala, who works as a driver in the tourism sector. According to Varghese, he had to face the wrath of his counterparts in Tamil Nadu.
“We have a group called All-India Drivers Group, the members of which are connected through three
WhatsApp groups. It comprises of over 700 drivers, including those driving taxis and interstate carriages. Ever since this online
battle started, our friends from Tamil Nadu have been threatening us with dire consequences,” Varghese said, adding that the situation was almost like when the people of both states were at loggerheads a few years ago over the Mullaperiyar row. Then, a few of the taxi drivers from the state were even attacked in Tamil Nadu.
Varghese was one among many, who personally contacted the police social media cell seeking their intervention.
