NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police is likely to write to major social media platforms requesting the removal of posts allegedly spreading misinformation about a Directorate of Education (DoE) circular related to stray dogs, an official said on Monday.
The police will also seek details of the accounts that uploaded such content, the official added. The move follows an FIR registered on a complaint by the DoE, which accused certain social media users of circulating “false and misleading claims” suggesting that school teachers in Delhi were instructed to count stray dogs.
A senior police officer said the communication to social media platforms would request the immediate takedown of the flagged content and also seek subscriber details, IP logs, and other relevant information of the accounts involved, as part of the ongoing investigation.
The FIR has been registered under Sections 353(1) (making or circulating false information, including through electronic means) and 192 (provocation with intent to cause riot) of the BNS, the police added.
Police officials said they will examine the list of social media handles shared by the government and assess the role of each account in spreading the alleged misinformation.
The complaint was filed by the DoE following allegations by the government that misinformation was being deliberately circulated regarding a departmental circular on appointing nodal officers in schools to coordinate matters related to stray dogs. In its complaint submitted at the Civil Lines police station, the DoE stated that “false, misleading, and malicious information” was being shared on social media with mala fide intent, causing reputational damage to the education department and undermining public trust in government institutions.
The department also flagged instances of impersonation, including videos allegedly showing individuals posing as teachers counting stray dogs, and urged the police to investigate the source of such content and take appropriate legal action.