New Delhi, March 3, IPU News Update: The Centre has said that some sections of the country are likely to get emotional after the growing war atmosphere between Israel and Iran, as well as the military actions taken by the US. In a letter sent to the states on February 28, it gave clear instructions to be alert and strengthen the surveillance system. It has ordered to keep a special vigil especially on religious gatherings, meetings and speeches.

* Surveillance on provocative speeches
The key issue mentioned in the Home Ministry letter is provocative speeches. It warned that some people with extremist ideologies may try to provoke people using foreign developments. It said that some religious preachers with anti-Iranian ideologies are likely to make speeches that create tensions. There is a risk of such speeches leading to social unrest locally, hence it has directed the state machinery to identify them early and take legal action. It has been advised that rumours and false propaganda spread rapidly on social media platforms and they should be stopped immediately.

* Intelligence sharing should be increased

The Centre has said that coordination between state police departments, local intelligence departments and central agencies should be increased. It has been advised to carefully monitor suspicious gatherings, groups, hate posts and foreign funding flows. It has issued orders to keep control rooms ready to take immediate action in case of emergency and deploy additional forces in sensitive areas.

* Impact of Middle East tensions
Recently, there has been a tense situation in the Middle East. International media has reported that Israel and the United States have jointly attacked military bases in Iran. This has further increased the fear of regional war. In the wake of these developments, India is also closely monitoring the situation. It is taking diplomatic measures, giving priority to the safety of Indians abroad. It is especially focused on the protection of Indians working in Gulf countries.

* Domestic peace and security is the goal
Officials say that the central government’s goal is to ensure that incidents abroad do not affect the social atmosphere in the country. Since India is a religiously, linguistically and culturally diverse country, security experts are of the opinion that even minor tensions can turn into a big problem. Therefore, it seems that these warnings have been issued with the aim of preventing riots and clashes by taking preventive measures.

* Strict action on rumors on social media
The Center has made it clear that social media monitoring is very crucial in this era when fake news, fake videos and hate posts are spreading rapidly. It has advised that information that causes panic among the people should be removed immediately and legal action should be taken against those responsible. It has also asked people to be vigilant and not believe rumors and trust only official information.

* Vigilance solution to prevent riots
The Center has advised states to take preventive measures so that international tensions do not have any impact domestically. It has made it clear that maintaining peace and harmony is everyone’s responsibility and strict action will be taken against those who disrupt the rule of law. State governments are also implementing central instructions and increasing surveillance in sensitive areas. The main objective of these measures is to review the situation from time to time and ensure public safety. Officials said that the machinery is ready to prevent any untoward incident as alertness has been increased across the country.

—— M Venkata T Reddy, News Editor and Investigative Journalist,