Farmers Movement Archive

300 Pakistan-based handles trying to incite farmers: Delhi Police

NEW DELHI: Citing an exhaustive cyber-technical analysis, Delhi Police’s intelligence wing has warned that Pak-based elements, through their proxies in India, may disrupt the proposed tractor rally by farmers on January 26 and fuel unrest. The threat perception comes after extensive Open-Source Situation (O-SINT) and Internet Protocol Detail Records analysis carried out by different intelligence units on social media. Details show over 300 Pak-based handles have been trying to incite the protesting farmers to foment unrest. These handles showed the location as Turkey, UAE, etc, but analysis revealed that they were located in Pakistan. Scores of handles were created between January 13-18 and became extremely active with a large online presence. They were tweeting with the hashtag #ISupportKhalistan. Special Commissioner Dependra Pathak on Sunday said that in the first week of January, they had come across a sustained Twitter campaign started by Pak-based elements to create doubts in the minds of the protesting farmers. “We have continuously been getting inputs regarding threats of creating disturbance during the tractor rally. In all, 308 Twitter handles were generated from Pakistan to create confusion,” he added. One of the week-long campaigns handled by Pakistan’s spy agency ran seven hashtags with thousands of tweets, said a source. The accounts are also using the hashtags chosen by the social media teams of the protesting farmers to come across as one of them. Geo-locations of suspicious handles had coordinates like “27.708226, 72.35549850000001”, confirming their Pak origin. Prominent handles, including Radio Pakistan, have been tweeting misleading information and pictures, reads the police analysis. “The threat perception is that Pak-based terrorist outfits can target the tractor rally or mischievous elements may hamper the law and order situation. However, we will make ample deployment on all routes,” said Pathak. Besides, there is a threat of disturbance by banned outfits like Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). On Sunday afternoon, SFJ made a threatening call to CISF’s control room saying the Indian government would be held responsible for the deaths at Singhu border. Last week, SFJ had called for disrupting Delhi’s power supply and also threatened Chief Justice of India SA Bobde asking him not to stop the tractor rally. “You have sided with those who committed genocide of Sikhs. Now you are siding with the Modi government, who is responsible for the econocide of Punjab farmers. This is not 1990s; It’s 2021 and SFJ will hold all justices accountable under the international laws,” a message released by SFJ read. SFJ’s threats, a security official said, are taken seriously given the influence the group has among its online followers. Delhi Police had briefed farmer union leaders about these nefarious plans being hatched by anti-national elements and sought their support in neutralising the threats.

The Times of India

2021-01-25

Delhi