Govt asks Meta, X to share data on hoax bomb-threat calls: Sources
New Delhi, Oct 24: Taking hoax bomb-threat messages and calls seriously, the government has started identifying those behind the menace and asked social media platforms like Meta and X to share data on such messages, sources said.
The government has also asked top multinational technology conglomerates to cooperate with it in helping identifying those behind such hoax calls, saying this involves public good.
Top sources said the government has traced some people who were behind hoax bomb-threat calls targeting airlines and that action is being taken accordingly. The government sources did not provide any further details on where these hoax calls and messages came from and who were behind those.
"The government has told social media companies Meta and X to share data pertaining to such hoax calls and messages made on their platforms targeting several airlines and asked them to cooperate," a senior official said.
"They will have to cooperate and provide data since this involves public good at large," he said, when asked whether the social media companies are cooperating with the government or not on the issue.
Several hoax messages and calls targeting a number of airlines were received in the recent past.
An unidentified caller on Wednesday threatened to blow up the Dumna airport at Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, which turned out to be a hoax, a police officer said.
On Tuesday alone, around 50 flights, including 13 each of IndiGo and Air India, received bomb threats. Akasa Air got the threats for more than 12 flights and 11 Vistara flights also received the threats, the sources said.
Around 30 flights of IndiGo, Air India and Vistara got bomb threats on Monday night, they added.
In nine days, more than 170 flights operated by Indian carriers received bomb threats, mostly through social media, that also forced the diversion of some international flights.
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Koppal: Court sentences 98 to life imprisonment for burning Dalits huts, assault in Marakumbi
Koppal: Koppal District and Sessions Court has pronounced its verdict on 101 accused whom it had found guilty in the case of atrocity against Dalits at Marakumbi village in 2014, on Thursday. The convicts had also burnt the huts of Dalits and had physically assaulted their victims.
The court has sentenced 98 out of the 101 convicts to life term imprisonment and has levied a fine Rs 5000 on each of them. As three of the convicts belonged to the SC/ST category, the atrocity act hasn't been applied to them. These convicts have been sentenced to 5 years of jail and Rs 2000 fine.
Judge C Chandrashekhar of the Koppal District and Sessions Court had pronounced the guilty verdict on Monday, nine years after the incident. He had reserved the judgement on punishment to Thursday.
The case concerns with the practice of untouchability where Dalits were barred entry to barber shops and restaurants in Marakumbi village of Gangavathi in 2015. This had resulted in a clash between two communities. Police had visited the village to register a case regarding this and an investigation was in progress. Enraged by the complaint filed, upper caste people had attacked the Dalit colony at night and set huts on fire.
117 people of the village had been booked for the crime. Some of the accused died before the case came to a closure. 101 of the accused had been found guilty by the court. However, the police had arrested only 100 and one accused had escaped them. The police have finally succeeded in nabbing him.
