WhatsApp rumors: Three sadhus narrowly escape lynching in Assam
Police and army in Assam prevented a repeat of last month's brutal Karbi Anglong lynching, rescuing three saints from an agitated 100-member mob in Dima Hasao. Locals, convinced about child-lifters prowling in the area, attacked the sadhus and took away their belongings while recording it on camera. After some people shared it online, the rumors about child-lifters intensified. But help thankfully arrived on time.
Army camp located near where incident happened
The incident happened near Mahur Railway Station, near which an army camp is located. This comes less than a month after the tragic deaths of two young Assamese musicians, who had traveled across India on a bike and were planning to end their trip in Karbi Anglong. But on June 8, they were tortured till death on the suspicion of being child-lifters.
Community leaders urge people to not believe in rumors
Following today's incident, an emergency meeting was called by the district administration. Deputy Commissioner Amitabh Rajkhowa and SP Prasanta Saikia were present. Representatives of different communities who attended urged the public not to believe in "WhatsApp news" or take law into their own hands.
No one knows where the 'child-lifting' messages started
No one knows where these 'child-lifting' messages originated, but they have led to the deaths of at least 28 people in a year. In most cases, the 'local-versus-outsider' sentiment was on full display, especially in tribal areas like Karbi Anglong (Assam) and Rainpada. Efforts to counter them have backfired horrifyingly: in Tripura's Kalachhara, a man spreading awareness against rumor-mongering was lynched on similar suspicions.
Irony: WhatsApp replacing Facebook as more trusted source of news
It doesn't help that WhatsApp is replacing Facebook as a more trusted source of news. According to the Reuters Institute, the use of Facebook for consuming news has reduced 9% from 2017 as more users turn to WhatsApp. A key factor is consumers looking for more personal and less confrontational spaces, experts said. Incidentally, India is WhatsApp's largest market, with 200mn monthly active users.
What are the police doing?
Police have been trying to clamp down on rumors. Last month, Hyderabad Police joined locals in an anti-rumor march. In TN, authorities have begun awareness drives. In Karnataka and Assam, police are monitoring content online. In Telangana, they have issued warnings and made arrests.
WhatsApp waging its own battle against fake news
To combat the growing menace, reports emerged in January that WhatsApp was testing a new spam-detection feature that warns users about potential 'fake news.' When users receive spam they see "Forwarded Many Times"; when they try to forward them, they see, "A message you are forwarding has been forwarded many times." The alert is triggered once a message has been forwarded 25 times.
