Hubballi: Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said that the state will soon set up a task force to control hate speech as per the instructions of the Supreme Court.
Bommai said hate speech is on the rise all over the country, especially on social media platforms.
Last week, the Supreme Court turned the heat on Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh to take “corrective measures” against communal hate at “dharma sansad” events and asked them to take steps to stop hate crimes by taking preventive and punitive measures.
The Supreme Court has directed all state governments to form special task forces to prevent hate crimes and “procure intelligence reports about the people who are likely to commit such crimes or who are involved in spreading hate speeches, provocative statements, and fake news”.
The court had held that it was the “duty of the central as well as the state governments to take steps to curb and stop the dissemination of irresponsible and explosive messages, videos, and other material on various social media platforms which have a tendency to incite mob violence and lynching of any kind.” Any failure on the part of the authorities would be viewed as an “act of deliberate negligence and/or misconduct”, the apex court said. Bommai did not set any deadline for setting up the special task force.
