Maharashtra Police intensifies efforts to combat fake news ahead of elections

“We are collecting posts and videos that spread misinformation about the Maharashtra elections and the Election Commission, as well as different claims regarding EVMs. This content is flagged to platforms like Meta and X, requesting the removal of such posts,” Shintre said.

“If the Election Commission mandates an investigation into a specific claim, we instruct local police stations across Maharashtra to file complaints and register FIRs,” he said, adding that only one non-cognisable offense has been registered thus far at the Khadakpada police station in Kalyan, Mumbai.

Nagpur’s Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP, Cyber)  Lohit Matani told The Indian Express that a close watch is being maintained on posts and videos shared on social media by the cyber police station’s monitoring team, in collaboration with cyber cells from local police stations.

DCP Matani said, “Social media is being monitored through both human intelligence (ground-level intelligence) and technical intelligence (utilising different tools to identify objectionable posts and fake videos). Our focus is on interrupting deepfake videos and misleading posts that contribute to false narratives, as well as content that could incite community clashes and other law and order issues.”

Police can take suo motu action only if they identify particularly concerning content on social media platforms. “In cases where an offense cannot be registered, a notice is sent to the respective social media user” Matani said, adding that certain social media accounts, including those of some political leaders, are under active surveillance to assess the nature of their posts.

There are two approaches to addressing misleading posts – directly contacting the platform to flag the content or approaching the intermediary through the Central Government. This helps reduce the visibility of the post in India’s cyberspace, even if complete removal is not possible.

DCP Matani also indicated that officials are trained to identify and flag such content. Offences in these cases are registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Information Technology Act, depending on the nature of the offence.