Assam man detained for social media comment linking Delhi blast to elections

TheAssam Police on Tuesday detained a retired school principal in Cachar district for a comment on social media suggesting a connection between theblast in Delhi and elections, The Indian Express reported.

On Monday evening, a carexploded near the Red Fort metro station. While the cause of the blast is not yet clear, the police havefiled a case under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and the Explosives Act.

A day later,Nazrul Islam Barbhuiyan, a resident of Durgapur in Cachar and the former principal of Banskandi NMHS School, allegedly commented on a Facebook post about the blast, saying: “Election is coming”, The Assam Tribune reported.

The comment appeared to be referring to the Bihar Assembly elections, the final phase of which was held on Tuesday, a day after the Delhi blast.

Cachar Assistant Superintendent of Police (Crime) Rajat Kumar Pal confirmed Barbhuiyan’s detention and alleged that the man had “tried to give a political angle” to the incident, The Indian Express reported.

“Yesterday, there was a very big blast in Delhi, which is being investigated by various agencies,” the newspaper quoted Pal as saying. “This is national news. Some people are trying to misuse and politicise this news, because of which divisions can be created among different communities.”

This could lead to an increase in chances of communal incidents, the officer said.

Pal said that the social media...

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