PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE /Dehradun
Workers of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) staged a protest in Dehradun on Sunday over the removal of social media posts critical of the State government. The party workers marched towards the Cyber Police Station on Kachehri Road though they were stopped by the police who had set up barricades.
During the protest, UKD leaders alleged that the BJP State government was getting social media posts of opposition parties removed. They claimed that people who criticise the State government are facing police cases and that their voices are being suppressed. The protesters also accused the Uttarakhand Cyber Police of acting under government pressure instead of working as an impartial agency.
Before the protest, the UKD IT Cell released a poster highlighting issues such as “freedom of expression”, “digital emergency” and the alleged misuse of the cyber police. The party claimed that social media posts critical of the State government were being removed and that this was an attempt to silence dissent. UKD leaders said that every citizen has the constitutional right to question the government and express their views. They demanded that freedom of expression should be protected and that the cyber police should function fairly.
The party warned that if social media posts continue to be removed and action is taken against those criticising the government, it will intensify its agitation across Uttarakhand. No official statement had been issued by the police administration on the allegations till the time of this report being filed.
