Don’t believe or forward WhatsApp messages without verification: Rajnath Singh

"I want to tell SSB jawans not to believe such messages and forward to anyone without verification as anti-national elements have been trying to foment trouble in the society," Rajnath Singh said.

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Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. (PTI Photo)

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday warned people against anti-social elements posting unverified information on social media and urged them not to believe in such messages. He also asked people to refrain from forwarding messages without verifying them first. Rajnath Singh was speaking at the launch of the intelligence wing of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) in New Delhi.

His remarks come days after BJP President Amit Shah asked people to not fall prey to the anti-BJP propaganda being mounted by the Congress on social media. “I appeal to the youth not to blindly believe the anti-BJP propaganda being spread on WhatsApp and Facebook. Before making any judgement, you need to do analysis of what was Gujarat before the BJP came to power and what is the situation today,” said Shah.

Asking the jawans to be cautious about the menace of fake news that is regularly being spread using social media such as WhatsApp, the home minister said, “I want to tell SSB jawans not to believe such messages and forward to anyone without verification as anti-national elements have been trying to foment trouble in the society. We all have to be careful before believing or forwarding them,” news agency PTI reported.

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Rajnath Singh also lauded the officers for guarding the 1,751 km-long Indo-Nepal and the 699 km-long Indo-Bhutan borders, which allow visa-free movement of people when compared to the other fenced borders. “In an open border, the security-men do not know who is anti-national, which way a criminal is coming or who is carrying fake currency or fake drugs,” he said. Referring to his earlier announcement of Rs one crore compensation to the family of the martyred paramilitary soldiers, he said, “I am also thinking to do something and I will certainly do it.”

Earlier, the home minister launched the SSB’s first-ever intelligence wing, that will have 650 field and staff agents to gather actionable information along the borders with Bhutan and Nepal, which are often used by criminals and Kashmiri militants returning from Pakistan. SSB, which is the lead intelligence agency for both the borders will use the well-knit intelligence network to prevent criminals and smugglers from taking advantage of the friendly borders with Nepal and Bhutan.

As many as 230 former Kashmiri militants, based in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, have returned home through the Indo-Nepal border since 2010. The Indo-Bhutan border is known to be frequented by the Assam-based insurgent group National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), which has even attacked Bhutanese nationals in the past.

(With inputs from PTI)

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