Syed Hurairah
Hyderabad: The Cyberabad Police, it seems, cannot distinguish good intentions with Islamophobia. This came to light after its verified Twitter handle responded to a Twitter user who made the outrageous claim that several ‘jihadis’ were working in the IT sector and suggested that police embark on a background checking exercise of such individuals.
The tweet was made by Suresh Kochatill. Details on his social media account suggests he works with the IT Cell of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The IT Cell has been found on several instances to have indulged in spreading disinformation, which has been debunked by various independent fact checking organisations.
“Many wannabe Jihadis work for American Software companies in Hyderabad? After #Iran threatened to hit US assets, has @hydcitypolice @cyberabadpolice @RachakondaCop done background check/risk assessment of these Peacefuls? Or cops are clueless? @KTRTRS @TelanganaDGP
@USCGHyderabad” he tweeted.
But what got the goat of Twitterati was the Cyberabad Police’s response.
“Yes sir… We have specialised wings for collection of advance intel and our teams are on the job 24X7. Thanks for alerting us. Please keep us updated if you find anything suspicious,” the verified handle tweeted.
Within a few hours, both tweets went viral and drew flak from people such as Shehla Rashid who tweeted, “Hi @cyberabadpolice @cpcybd can you provide legal definitions of “wannabe Jehadis”, “peacefuls” & “suspicious”? What exactly is it that you are monitoring? What kind of intel do you collect on Indian software professionals, and what does that have to do with Iran-US relations?”
Another verified Twitter handle @prasanto said, “In a rare admission, Cyberabad Police appears to confirm that it profiles and gathers intel on Muslims working for American software companies in Hyderabad.”
After a while, Hyderabad Parliamentarian and Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen president Asaduddin Owaisi criticised Cyberabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar. “@cpcybd sir you say “yes sir” please enlighten how many such “jihadi” are working in software companies kindly give a number if not please clarify what you exactly meant. Will you reply to an MP or only to a Bhakt?”
In another tweet, he took a swipe at Mr Sajjanar as he brought up the encounter of four men in the Disha case who were killed near Shadnagar. “@cpcybd
Sir whatever you do but no killings in name of “encounter” at 05am please, if possible arrest & as accepted 3rd degree will be given but pls no cartoos in stomach CP saheb Terrorism has no religion, (remember NGodse),” he said.
Meanwhile, activist S Q Masood tweeted to the Kalapather Police Station demanding that a case be registered against Kochattil, who, despite the criticism continued to use pejoratives used for Muslim community such as ‘peacefuls’. He went on to make the outrages claim that ‘peacefuls’ are suspects.
Later in the day, the Cyberabad Police tweeted a clarification and maintained that response to Kochatil was misconstrued. The intention of the tweet was to say that police are always alert, and to ensure security. Police also said that they are committed to safety and security without in society without any prejudice towards any person or community.