In a crackdown on online trolling, particularly against public representatives, the Hyderabad Police registered 20 cases against uploaders of various trolling channels for objectionable and indecent content.

Recently, objectionable content against Kalvakuntla Kavitha, the BRS MLC who has been interrogated by the Enforcement Directorate several times in connection with the Delhi liquor scam, flooded social media platforms though the police have denied that their crackdown was due to any specific complaint or person.

“We have registered about 20 cases recently against the owners/uploaders of various trolling channels which are spreading objectionable, defamatory and insulting morphed videos against various public representatives. We have traced eight persons and took necessary legal action against them,” stated the police in a media release.

According to the police, most of the trollers are young men, aged between 20-30 years, and are either students or dropouts. The police expressed apprehension that in the long term such craze for trolling might lead to “indecency and even lawlessness” among the youths. Among the eight people to whom police have issued notice under section 41 (A) of CrPC to appear before police at least four are from various districts of Andhra Pradesh while the rest belong to Telangana.

According to police, the youths were posting “objectionable, defamatory and insulting content with morphed videos” against some public representatives in order to increase their subscribers and their ratings and earn money. They were even posting indecent content against women. The police warned trollers against such content and that penal action will be initiated against them under IPC and Information Technology Act.

Sneha Mehra DCP, cyber crime wing of Hyderabad police denied that the police crackdown was in response to content that is being posted online against Kalvakuntla Kavitha, BRS MLC and daughter of chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. Ever since Kavitha was named by the ED in a remand report alleging she was heading the liquor cartel named South who paid large sums as kickbacks to the AAP in exchange of favourable liquor policy, a number of offensive online posts found their way into social media platforms.

However, Mehra said that if the offensive content could be posted against women public representatives and the offenders can get away with that what would be the plight of the common woman.

“It is not specific. It is just a message that now on if anybody is indulging in posting indecent and immoral content against even a common man and woman action will be taken,” said Mehra. She also pointed out even when a person is not an accused the content posted by the trolls paint him or her as an offender and that may modify public opinion against that person.