14 arrested in Assam over supporting Taliban on social media: Police

Guwahati:  Fourteen people were arrested from across Assam for alleged social media posts supporting the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, police said on Saturday.

The arrests were made since Friday night and they have been booked under different sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, IT Act and CrPC, a senior police officer said.

“We were on alert and monitoring social media for inflammatory posts,” the officer said.

Two people each were arrested from Kamrup Metropolitan, Barpeta, Dhubri and Karimganj districts, police said.

One person each was arrested from Darrang, Cachar, Hailakandi, South Salmara, Goalpara and Hojai districts, they said.

Deputy Inspector General Violet Baruah said the Assam Police is taking stern legal action against pro-Taliban comments on social media that are harmful to national security.

“We’re registering criminal cases against such persons. Please inform the police if any such thing comes to your notice,” she tweeted.