Uttam Nagar case: Social media handles ‘spreading rumours’ face legal action

Delhi Police has initiated legal action against several social media accounts for allegedly spreading rumours and circulating misleading content, including a viral video seeking financial donations, in connection with the recent Uttam Nagar murder case, officials said on Friday.

A video that surfaced on social media on March 10 contained a QR code requesting financial assistance from the public using narratives linked to the incident. During verification, it was found that nearly Rs 37 lakh had already been credited to the suspect bank account in the last two days, they said.

“In view of the potential scam that may be played upon the general public, the manager of the concerned bank branch has been informed to block all credit and debit facilities of the said account and freeze the amount deposited by the public,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) Kushal Pal Singh said.

He added that the police had taken serious note of misleading and inflammatory content circulating on social media following the March 4 clash in Uttam Nagar that led to the death of a 26-year-old man.

Acting swiftly, police coordinated with multiple social media platforms to ensure the removal of such content, he said.

“So far, 14 take-down requests under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act have been sent to social media platform ‘X’, while eight similar requests have been forwarded to Instagram for removal of the identified inflammatory content,” the officer said.

Police said action has also been initiated against individuals operating social media accounts involved in rumour-mongering and spreading unverified information.

Police reiterated that circulating false or misleading information on social media is a punishable offence under relevant provisions of law and warned that strict action would be taken against those attempting to disturb public peace through misinformation.

Earlier, police had clarified that two juveniles and 14 adults had been nabbed in connection with the killing of Tarun, who died during a clash between two groups of neighbours in Uttam Nagar’s JJ Colony during Holi celebrations on March 4.

Officials said the situation in the area remains under control with adequate police deployment on the ground.