Red Fort blast fallout: Ex-principal held in Cachar over ‘insensitive’ online post
The detained individual, Nazrul Islam Barbhuiyan, is a former principal of Banskandi N.M.H.S. School
An image of detained Nazrul Islam Barbhuiyan. (AT Photo)
Silchar, Nov 11: The Cachar Police, on Tuesday, detained a retired school principal for allegedly posting objectionable comments on social media about the deadly blast near Delhi’s Red Fort on Monday evening, which killed 12 people.
The detained individual has been identified as Nazrul Islam Barbhuiyan, a resident of Durgapur under Rongpur Police Patrol Post and Silchar Sadar Police Station in Cachar district.
Barbhuiyan, formerly the principal of Banskandi NMHS School, reportedly made remarks on Facebook referring to the Delhi blast, including a post that stated, “elections are coming ahead”.
Confirming the detention, Cachar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Partha Protim Das said Barbhuiyan’s comments were “inappropriate”, given the gravity of the national security situation.
“Whether the comment was made with a particular motive or not is under investigation,” SSP Das said, adding that police are examining the intent behind the post.
“Social media posts will be under surveillance,” he further warned.
The detention comes just hours after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, speaking to the press in Raha, Nagaon, said police had initiated background checks on individuals from Assam who allegedly expressed support for the Delhi blast on social media.
He warned that such behaviour amounts to promoting terrorism and would attract strict legal consequences.
“We have noticed that after the Delhi blast, some individuals on Facebook have posted emojis and messages supporting the attack. This clearly means they support terrorism. We have started verifying their identities, and if they are from Assam, they will be arrested,” the Chief Minister said.
Sarma added that he had directed the Director General of Police (DGP) to identify and investigate all such social media accounts and take necessary legal steps against those glorifying terror acts.
Cachar Police said further legal action would depend on the findings of the investigation into the motive and intent behind Barbhuiyan’s post.