Following a controversy over an Election Commission letter bearing the BJP Kerala seal, Kerala Police are cracking down on election-related misinformation circulating on social media to ensure free and fair elections.
The Kerala Police said that its cyber operations wing has undertaken coordinated action to curb the circulation of the misleading and potentially harmful content on social media platforms.
The controversy surfaced after the Communist Party of India-Marxist flagged the issue on social media platform X, sharing an affidavit attached to a March 19, 2019 letter sent to political parties in the country that bore the Bharatiya Janata Party Kerala seal instead of the Election Commission's official seal.
The EC had said it was 'purely a clerical error' and had been 'rectified immediately'.
It had also said that the official responsible for the error has been placed under suspension.
The police, in a statement, said that it has been observed that certain images and content, which were subsequently clarified by the Kerala Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) continued to be circulated across platforms in a misleading manner.
"These were being used as part of a misinformation campaign, with the potential to adversely impact the integrity of the electoral process and erode public trust," it said.
It further said that in view of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) being in force, and in order to uphold the principles of free and fair elections, cyber operations initiated necessary takedown measures against such content.
"The actions were taken in accordance with the legal framework and the mandate to prevent misuse of digital platforms for spreading misinformation, defamation, and content capable of disturbing public order," it said.
It further said that in order to curb misinformation, fake news, defamation, communal provocation, and MCC violations a significant number of URLs have been processed and removed, with the cooperation of the social media intermediaries and digital platforms.
The police said that it will ensure that digital platforms are not misused to spread false narrative and influence the electoral process, while warning of strict action against those found involved in spreading false or misleading information.
It also advised citizens to rely only on verified and official sources of information and to refrain from sharing unverified content.