The Uttar Pradesh government is ramping up its preparedness to deal with the possibility of law and order problems in the wake of the Supreme Court's impending verdict on the Ayodhya dispute. On Sunday, Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police O.P. Singh announced the police would not hesitate to charge under the stringent National Security Act people who use social media to cause law and order problems.
Singh told mediapersons that social media platforms were being monitored by officials and any objectionable or inflammatory post would invite action.
Meanwhile, news agency ANI reported on Monday that the Ayodhya district administration had prohibited inflammatory posts on social media on the Ayodhya dispute. District Magistrate Anuj Kumar Jha prohibited messages and posters on social media that could disturb communal harmony, “in view of upcoming festivals and verdict in Ayodhya land case”. The prohibition will be in effect till December 28.
A five-justice bench of the Supreme Court, heading by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, had reserved its verdict on the Ayodhya dispute in October after conducting daily hearings for 40 days. As Gogoi will retire on November 17, the verdict on the Ayodhya case is expected to be announced before that date.
AMU issues appeal
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Various religious groups, belonging to both Hindu and Muslim communities, have appealed for calm and restraint ahead of the impending verdict.
The students union of Aligarh Muslim University has appealed for calm. In a letter, Hamza Sufyan, vice president of the AMU union, asked citizens to "keep aside their sentiments and respect the verdict" of the Supreme Court.
Noting that the Ayodhya dispute was a matter of national security, Sufyan urged the Central and state governments to act to ensure safety of "each and every individual". He also requested media houses "not to misuse their power to propagate any disinformation and report with full sincerity and truthfulness". He also called for reporting purveyors of fake news on social media to the district administration.
