Guidelines under CrPC section 144 have been released by the Kashmiri police to combat social media usage

 Guidelines under CrPC section 144 have been released by the Kashmiri police to combat social media usage

Similar directives were issued by many other Kashmir Valley districts last week. The rules were released in response to Director General of Police RR Swain's declaration that it would be illegal for anybody in Jammu and Kashmir to post anything on social media that encouraged discord.

Last week, Swain announced in Jammu that a new clause to this effect will be added to Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

In accordance with CrPC section 144, authorities in Kashmir have released guidelines for social media users in an effort to stop the transmission of information that incites terrorism and separatism or is sensitive to certain communities. "The guidelines are aimed at presenting clarity on the action to be taken by citizens that encounter content related to terrorism, separatism, threats, intimidation as well as communally sensitive material on social media structures," the police said on Thursday.

Similar directives were issued by many other Kashmir Valley districts last week. The rules were released in response to Director General of Police RR Swain's declaration that it would be illegal for anybody in Jammu and Kashmir to post anything on social media that encouraged discord.

Last week, Swain announced in Jammu that a new clause to this effect will be added to Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). We have made the decision to enact a legislation prohibiting the publication of any messages, videos, or music that might encourage discord among communities or intimidate or threaten individuals, in accordance with section 144 of the CrPC.

"Whether they are terrorists, separatists as well as anti-national elements, posting such communications and videos would be an offense as per law," Swain said. Before being put into effect, the law's draft would be made available to the public for comments, he said. , In accordance with the recommendations, individuals are expected to report any suspicious behavior right away and to help maintain a secure online environment.

"If you receive any teaching with objectionable content, promptly report it to the nearest police station or police post and provide screenshots and detailed information," the rules said. If users unintentionally post offensive information, they are instructed to "immediately recall messages".

"If at all possible, provide an explanation to every contact or group that it was shared with," it states. As a precaution, report the incidence to the authorities." The police have said that if someone is a member of a WhatsApp group that consistently publishes any messages supporting terrorism, they will not be taken seriously until they either quit the group or report it to them. will be opposed to certain people.

The rules said, "Remaining in such a group may be construed as consent and approval of its content." In order to stop the spread of dangerous information, these recommendations also stress the need of timely reporting and appropriate social media usage.

Additionally, unregistered news websites and social media news accounts have been targeted for regulation by authorities in some regions. The Kupwara district in North Kashmir was the first to publish instructions under section 144 of the CrPC and to threaten legal action under section 188 of the IPC in the event that the rules were broken.

All unregistered news sites were given a warning last week by Deputy Commissioner Kupwara Ayushi Sudan to abide by the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) regulations or risk legal repercussions.

The decision mandates that the owners and publishers of all unregistered online and social media news portals, as well as those that post news and current affairs material from across District Kupwara, adhere to the code of conduct outlined in the regulations' appendix. "The order will come into force with immediate repercussions and any violation of the purchase will invite punitive action under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 along with various relevant sections of law in force," the ruling said.

The Senior Superintendent of Police, Kupwara, prepared a report that served as the basis for the order. In it, the report emphasized the growing number of unregistered online news portals and social media pages that report on news and current affairs without proper verification or accountability.