Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Home Secretary RK Singh confirmed that India will take up the issue of morphed images circulated online, that were responsible for creating panic among people from the North East in some southern states, with Pakistan.
Singh on Saturday said that said the bulk of the rumours against North East people that triggered panic were originated from Pakistan.
However, the Home Secretary said the Pakistan government will our deny our claims.
"Photos of people who had died in cyclones etc were circulated as victims of violence in Myanmar and Bodoland", Singh said while talking to reporters.
He said an incident that happened in Myanmar about three months back was being circulated to incite people, adding people will soon realise that nefarious things were going on.
"A total of 76 websites were identified where morphed images were uploaded and bulk of these were uploaded in Pakistan," he said.
The Home Secretary said all these websites have since been blocked.
“Apart from these websites, 34 more have been identified and Government was in the process of blocking them soon,” he said.
"We want people to know that bulk of this was done from Pakistan. We will raise this issue with Pakistan. We believe it is highly reprehensible," he added.
To check spread of rumours, which has led to exodus of North-East people from certain states, the Home Ministry had on Friday banned bulk SMSes and MMSes for 15 days across the country.
Sixteen people were arrested in Bangalore, eight for spreading rumours leading to flight of people from the northeast people from here and eight for assault, a top police official said on Saturday even as the exodus slowed to a trickle.
MPs cutting across party lines had on Friday spoken in support of people from the North-East with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh declaring in both houses of Parliament that everybody would together ensure that those from the region were safe in all parts of the country.
First Published: Sunday, August 19, 2012, 09:00