Guwahati, April 4: Ahead of the Assam Assembly elections, the state police have set up a special cell under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to monitor social media for fake news, defamatory posts, and content that could disrupt law and order.

Special Director General of Police (CID) Munna Prasad Gupta told PTI on Saturday that the cell, operational since March 20, has handled 17 cases involving 27 profiles across various platforms. The unit achieved a 100% content removal rate, with one FIR registered and the primary accused arrested by March 29.

Gupta stated that the cell tracks complaints received at both central and district levels and also scans social media proactively for posts that may incite discord. Most flagged content targeted candidates’ reputations through defamation or image tarnishing.

Legal provisions under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, and the Information Technology Act, 2000, allow the police to take swift action, including tracing IP addresses via the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s (MeitY) Sahyog Portal. Platforms delaying takedown requests risk losing safe harbour protection.

Police efforts are guided by Election Commission directives on fake news, with meetings held with platform nodal officers to ensure faster responses to election-related requests. Officials said flagged content is digitally preserved for evidence, followed by formal notices for user data and takedown compliance within legal timelines.