Odisha Police’s Spl Unit to Keep Watch on Fake News on Social Media During Election Process

Bhubaneswar: To curb the menace of fake news during the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, Odisha police have set up a special unit to keep warch on social media platforms.

IGP (Crime Branch) Shefeen Ahamed is the nodal officer of the social media cell of Odisha Police.

“There is a specific guideline from ECI regarding fake news, misinformation. The IG rank officer will monitor all news content and tackle dissemination of false online contents related to elections in coordination with the IT department. A mechanism has been put in place,” DGP Arun Kumar Sarangi told the media.

Odisha police urged citizens to refrain from spreading misinformation with warning for stringent action against individuals and organisations sharing fake and provocative contents related to elections on social media handles.

District police headquarters have also created their own teams to actively monitor platforms like Facebook, X, WhatsApp, Instagram and YouTube. Dedicated phone numbers have also been issued to receive complaints from people and candidates related to circulation of fake and objectionable poll-related contents on social media handles.