CM Mamata writes to Amit Shah over rising cyber threats, seeks stringent laws

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has penned a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, expressing "deep concerns" over the escalating cases of cybercrimes and the proliferation of provocative content on social media platforms. In her letter, Banerjee pressed for the urgent need for stringent legal provisions to combat these acts, which she stated are taking a "severe toll on individuals and institutions alike" and posing serious challenges to public peace and the nation's social fabric.

The Chief Minister highlighted that "incendiary narratives, misleading stories, and fake videos circulating on social media are contributing significantly to the aggravation of criminal tendencies among certain sections of society." She further elaborated that such content not only spreads misinformation but also possesses the potential to incite communal sentiments, violence, and disrupt social harmony, including leading to crimes against women. Her remarks gain particular significance in light of the recent gang-rape case involving a first-year law student in Kolkata's Kasba area, where police had to issue warnings against attempts to leak the survivor's identity on social media.

Banerjee underscored that cybercrimes, ranging from financial frauds to online harassment and defamation, disproportionately affect vulnerable sections of society, such as women, children, the elderly, and those from economically weaker backgrounds. She emphasized that these groups are often less equipped to identify, counter, or recover from such harm, exacerbating existing social inequities. The Chief Minister urged that existing laws need further strengthening to keep pace with the rapidly evolving digital ecosystem and the complex methods employed by criminals. She also stressed the importance of fostering widespread awareness through sensitization programs, digital literacy campaigns, and community engagement initiatives to empower citizens to critically evaluate online information and promptly report suspicious activities.