'Social media is active, intelligence wing is weak'

Karnataka State Minorities Commission chairperson Nazeer Ahmed on Saturday emphasised on proactive policing especially to check social media from fomenting communal flare ups.

Addressing reporters here, Ahmed who stressed on effective policing in the wake of communal tension witnessed in the district in the recent past, said, “While social media is very active, the intelligence gathering mechanism is weak. In such situations, preventive measures assume significance other than peace meetings that are usually conducted in the aftermath of untoward incidents.”

Saying that he has conveyed the similar message to both City Police Commissioner T R Suresh and Superintendent C H Sudheer Kumar Reddy during a meeting held in prior, Ahmed said, “It is essential to maintain law and order and to take precautionary steps by strengthening the intelligence gathering mechanism, to sense trouble in the making, through social networking sites too.”

A report has also been collected on various cases related to minorities including Muslims, Christians, Jains, Sikhs and Parsis registered in the recent past both in commissionerate and district police limits headed by the superintendent, said Ahmed.
Harmony rally

He said that it was also deliberated on holding a rally for harmony or marathon, either from the commission or the district administration in the district, involving various stakeholders like industrialists, traders, NGOs and also religious leaders to check recurrence of disturbing incidents in the future.

Reacting to a query on promulgation of the ban order in the district that was extended beyond 50 days, thus affecting normal life to an extent, Ahmed said that the same issue was discussed in the meeting.