Kullu: With social media platforms being used for spreading rumours children kidnapping across the district here, the police has asked the people to desist from spreading false information by forwarding fake news messages without first verifying the contents.
Gaurav Singh, district police chief Kullu said, “Nowadays, the role of the social media can’t be ignored when it comes to spreading any important news quickly. But the same platform could prove to be disastrous, if fake news is shared on it without knowing the truth.”
Following the spread of false information on social media, an innocent truck conductor at Ramshila was mercilessly beaten by a mob and had to rescued by the police on Sunday.
Singh said that the truck conductor Rakesh Kumar disclosed to the police that he belonged to Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh and had stopped on the road to to drink water, when he started a conversation with a child, who was standing near the water tank. But that child started to cry as he was apprehensive about strangers after hearing stories at home about a gang of child kidnappers operating in the district.
“Some people who were in the vicinity, without ascertaining what the matter was and seeing the child cry, started to beat the conductor,” said the district police chief.
On the complaint of Rakesh Kumar, aged 37, a First Information Report has been registered at Kullu police station and seven persons have been arrested in the case, a police spokesman stated.
Spread of false information in the past few days has led to many innocent people being beaten up by aggressive mobs.
Police has asked to people to remain vigilant and to inform the police immediately if they found any suspicious person in their area.
A theater artist, a script writer and a TV anchor, news is something that grips Renuka. She lives in Kullu.
