Strict action against those sharing misleading info on COVID-19, warns Haryana Police

The Haryana Police has warned of strict action against those sharing misleading and unverified information related to the COVID-19 pandemic on social media platforms.

All such rumour-mongers will be booked after holding them responsible under relevant sections of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897,Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Navdeep Singh Virk said on Friday.

The citizens should be more careful about the authenticity of information on COVID-19 before sharing or forwarding them on social media, he said.

"Several instances of spreading factually incorrect and unverified information on social media are being noticed. Such kinds of misinformation can create confusion and potentially lead to panic among the general public. Keeping this in view, any information or content in this regard should be shared after confirmation from the authorized sources," he said.

Virk said cyber police stations/cyber cells and IT teams of police have been directed to act accordingly in this regard.

"They are regularly monitoring activities on social media, especially WhatsApp. Apart from group admin, those who post fake or unverified contents on social media would also be held responsible. Police will take stringent action against those found guilty as per the law", he added.

The ADGP said in the current situation when the lockdown is in force, all ranks of the state police are at the forefront in this fight against the spread of COVID-19.

"All efforts are being made to educate people asking them to keep away from sharing unverified contents and not to believe any information circulated on social media without proper verification.

"In the given situation, it is the duty of every citizen to be responsible about what they share on social media. This way, they will not only helpthe police but also serve the society and the nation," he said.