Gurgaon: Haryana STF identified 12 Instagram accounts allegedly being operated or used by terrorists to radicalise and influence youths, and got them removed from the platform. It also identified around 200 youths through social media who were being influenced by gangster and gun culture, and counselled them, as part of its efforts to check the spread of criminal and extremist influence online, sources said.Sources said the accounts were mostly linked to Pakistan-based gangster Shahzad Bhatti, who was declared a terrorist in Sept this year by Union home minister Amit Shah. According to STF, Bhatti is trying to radicalise Indian youth to initiate terror activities in India.Police are also monitoring content that can contribute to extremist influence among youths. “The removal of the 12 accounts identified as being used by terrorists for radicalisation is part of this parallel effort, while the counselling of around 200 youths is aimed at addressing their exposure to gangster and gun culture before it translates into criminal behaviour,” an officer said.STF has also constituted a dedicated committee or social media monitoring team to analyse digital and social media content promoting gangsterism, firearms and violence. Inputs on such content and profiles have been shared with other states for coordinated action, police said. Agencies write to Instagram and submit a request informing the threat these accounts pose to the nation, seeking that they be removed permanently.The force’s crackdown on online gangster culture follows a campaign last year in which it got 67 songs removed from digital platforms. It issued notices to intermediaries under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act and Rule 3(1)(d) of the IT Intermediary Rules. The songs were identified on platforms including YouTube, JioSaavn, Amazon Music, Spotify and Gaana, and were found to glorify gangsters, firearms, intimidation, murder and hostility towards the justice system.STF’s assessment of the 67 songs by 20 artists found that the content ranged from threats of shooting people in court and killing lawyers to open references to gangsters, illegal firearms, murder cases and taking over territory through violence. The songs were spread across the Haryanvi music scene. Singer Masoom Sharma accounted for 19 of the 67, while several others had between one and six songs each identified for removal. They included Raj Mawar, Narender Bhagana, Amit Saini Rohtakiya, Rahul Puthi, PS Polist, Candy Sheoran and Dhanda Nyoliwala.STF has also begun engaging with artists rather than relying only on takedown action. Several meetings have been held with Haryanvi singers to discuss the glorification of gangs, drugs, firearms and violence and its impact on young audiences. The artists were advised against producing or promoting content that glorifies criminality or undermines law enforcement.“The subsequent content released by several artists showed a reduction in references to gun culture, gangsterism and criminal violence. As one example of the change, singer Sumit Parta changed the title of a song from ‘Pistol’ to ‘Bhartar’ and modified its lyrics and visuals to remove references to firearms and unlawful conduct,” an officer said.DGP Ajay Singhal said the police’s focus was not limited to action against criminals but also extended to the digital environment that could make crime appear attractive or prestigious. He appealed to media organisations, artists, content creators and social media platforms to act responsibly, and said efforts would continue to keep young people away from crime and radicalisation.
