views
The security agencies in Punjab are keeping a close watch on over 200 YouTube channels that have sprung up in the last few months in the name of supporting the ongoing agitation of farmers.
They are under watch not only for their content but also for their funding sources. Intelligence agencies suspect that some of these channels could be ‘fuelling’ anti-India sentiments under the grab of farmers’ stir.
Sources in the intelligence wing of the State police revealed that since November 26, there has been a number of YouTube channels mushrooming and routinely covering live from Tikri, Ghazipur and Singhu borders of Delhi. These channels also run Facebook lives from these locations.
Sources said that though many of them have ‘clean’ operations which focus on the agitation, a significant number of these channels has raised concern among the security agencies.
“There is a need to keep a constant monitoring of these channels. The kind of content which is disguised as genuine stir reporting is actually nothing but fanning extremist viewpoints,’’ said a source in the intelligence department.
The Centre has already banned the YouTube channel and Facebook page run by controversial head of the US-based secessionist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), Gurpatwant Pannu. But sources said to circumvent the ban, Pannu was funding other YouTube channels which are ‘reporting’ under the guise of farmer’s agitation.
“Our monitoring teams are constantly monitoring the content. Since it is a very technical and complicated task we are trying to identify and get such channels blocked,” said an officer.
Interestingly, even some farmers’ organisations have approached the security agencies fearing that some ‘mischievous’ elements could try to malign the stir through what they claimed as ‘vicious’ content on air.
“We have been provided information about some Facebook pages and YouTube channels by farmer leaders expressing fears that they could have been used for maligning the agitation,” said an officer.
Noticeably, even Punjabi actor turned activist who had been arrested recently for the January 26 violence had been posting his speeches on Facebook and YouTube till he was nabbed. The Delhi Police are also investigating the content that Deep Sidhu had uploaded before the January 26 violence.
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here
Comments
0 comment