Mumbai Cops block Facebook page intended to trigger communal tension during Ramzan

The Mumbai crime branch is probing a case where inflammatory content was posted against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on Facebook. The post also contained malicious content against a particular community. The police suspect the page was created to trigger communal tension during Ramzan. The cops have now blocked the page.

Sources said the Anti-Terror Cell (ATC) of the city police came across the page and informed the Azad Maidan police. A case was registered under section 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code and section 66 (sending offensive, annoying or threatening email, SMS or MMS) of the Information Technology Act.

"We alerted the Cyber Crime Cell and got the page blocked. It was active for about a month. Considering the time when the page was created it is ascertained that it was intended to create communal tension during Ramzan festival," said an officer from Azad Maidan police station.

Explaining the content of the page, the officer said the page carried some derogatory photographs and contents of a religious book. There were some posts against ISIS. Efforts are on to trace the person who had created the page."

In May, protests were witnessed in few parts of the state after morphed photographs of Hindu gods, Shivaji Maharaj and a late political leader with derogatory remarks were posted on Facebook. The case too is being investigated by the cyber crime cell. No arrests have been made in that case so far. A Muslim youth was also beaten to death by few persons during the protests in Pune.