An organised cyber hate campaign with communal overtones has been unleashed against the police in the wake of the security arrangements put in place at Sabarimala, which have not gone down well with a section of the pilgrims.
The comment section on the official page of the police has become the favourite spot for elements looking to rile against the alleged high-handedness by the men in uniform at the hill shrine.
“We have already initiated criminal action against a few people for posts inciting communal hatred and personally threatening the officer on duty. There is an organised manner in which such comments are being posted on the Facebook page of the police,” Manoj Abraham, Inspector General of and nodal officer of Kerala Police Cyberdome, told The Hindu. The Cyberdome is also sifting through cyber world for such abusive posts against the police.
Sources associated with the handling of the Facebook page said a hate campaign portraying the police as Hindu haters is under way. Critical comments, which are reasonably fit for display in public domain are being retained, while the abusive ones with communal overstones are being hidden. The reach of our Facebook page, which has 9 lakh followers, might be the reason why they are targeting it, they said.
Besides, abusive and communally loaded posts against the police are being reported by people who are not impressed by their content, through the private message box of the police Facebook page.
C.R. Biju, general secretary, Kerala Police Officers Association, said the association will take legal recourse if the attack against police turned personal. “Being a law enforcement agency in a democratic country, we are receptive of criticism. But if police officers on duty are being vilified and individually attacked for performing their constitutional obligation, then the association will approach the highest court of this country,” said Mr. Biju.
Meanwhile, the police have embarked on a counter narrative on their Facebook page using a mix of memes, which have been their hallmark since its revival earlier this year, and video testimonials of Sabarimala pilgrims appreciating the arrangements in place. Besides, in a lengthy post published on Monday, the police strived to drive home the message that their arrangements in Sabarimala were for the safety of pilgrims and their smooth pilgrimage and not for restricting them.