FIR lodged against makers of audio clip on Mohali Civil Hospital: Dayalan

An FIR has been registered on against unidentified persons who made a malicious audio clip two weeks back “to lower the confidence of the public in the medical facilities at Mohali Civil Hospital,” deputy commissioner Girish Dayalan has said.

Strict action will be initiated against those who spread rumours on Covid-19, he added.

Unverified, misleading, malicious information on social media will invite action under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code, Disaster Management Act and Epidemic Diseases Act.

“Do not forward Covid related messages without verification . We are monitoring such posts on social media. Legal action will be taken against those who spread false news,” said Dayalan, .

WhatsApp admins sharing unverified, misleading Covid-19 information were asked to be careful.

“Rumours spread fast on social media, leading to unwanted panic among the people. So, our cyber cell sleuths are on guard. We have stepped up online surveillance to identify senders of such fake news, frivolous, unfounded Covid-19 related messages and other content,” Dayalan said.

“Whereas the administration is making all out efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19 in the district, certain antisocial elements are spreading all sorts of rumours on social media, including WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others. This does not just create panic, but also is extremely discouraging for the frontline corona warriors, he added.

The entire government machinery was working round the clock and making all out efforts to keep people safe from the virus, “but a few bad elements are hampering the process by posting and sharing unfounded messages. No one would be allowed to sabotage our pandemic control efforts; we will take sternest action in the book against the miscreants,” the DC said.