12 Pakistani social media groups, with thousands of followers from Indian states of Haryana and Rajasthan, are under the police scanner in connection with the violence that took place in Nuh on 31st July 2023. Haryana police shared the updates about the same to the media.
According to news reports, a minimum of 12 social media groups linked to Pakistan have been identified as significant contributors to the Nuh clashes, said the police. These groups, operational on platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, and Telegram, boast substantial followings comprising thousands of members from the Mewat region in Haryana and Rajasthan. These groups were actively disseminating messages of animosity through daily broadcasts in the lead up to the Nuh violence.
These social media groups not only incited crowds to take extreme actions in favour of their community during the riots, but also received a ton of congratulatory messages following the attacks. A significant proportion of the individuals arrested following the riots have been identified as active participants in these social media groups.
Nuh SP Narendra Bijarnia said, “Social media accounts being run from Pakistan are under the scanner for instigating the flare-up in Nuh. Though a majority of these have deleted the chats, we are trying to retrieve the data. We have recovered videos of clashes from these accounts, which helped us identify the suspects.”
The investigative officers also shared the challenges they faced with Telegram groups, as most of them did not leave behind any traceable digital footprints or records. These accounts have also attracted the attention of national security agencies. The Rajasthan Police are also scrutinising comparable accounts with substantial followings in Alwar and Bharatpur districts.
