Cops tracing down propagandists on Facebook

Bangladesh is stepping up to face the propagation of hate campaigns and false information regarding the country's ongoing Rohingya refugee crisis on the social media.

So far, 35 Facebook profiles and pages have been traced and three of them shut. Police say they will be bringing the propagandists to book after identity confirmation.

Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit's Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Alimuzzaman said the move comes to stop instigation of violence inside Bangladesh.

"Ten Facebook profiles and two pages have been identified in the last eight days. We have requested Facebook to shut them off. Until today, three have been closed," he told The Daily Star.

According to him, some of those profiles and pages are being operated from home, and the others from abroad. The lawmen, in the mean time, will continue a close watch of the social media.

Over 450,000 Rohingya refugees have entered Bangladesh to escape persecution in Myanmar. While Bangladesh is offering them shelter, authorities are alert to prevent any utilisation of the mass in militancy, terrorism or violence.

Sahely Ferdous, an assistant inspector general of police, told The Daily Star that security has been beefed up across the country to avoid any unwanted incident following the Rohingya exodus.

With Myanmar government, military and their Buddhist supporters under international flak, a special attention to security detail of Buddhist temples and community has been taken up in Bangladesh.

Police official Shahely Ferdous said, instigators held for inflammatory posts on the social media will be sued under the Information and Communication Technology Act.