Social Media to be monitored 24 x 7
By Radhika Nagrath
HARIDWAR, 27 July: The District Administration and Haridwar Police are fully prepared to ensure a safe, orderly, and peaceful Kanwar Mela 2026. For the first time, Cyber Commandos will be deployed to monitor social media during the fair, taking immediate action against misleading, fake, and AI-generated videos said the District Magistrate Mayur Dixit and Senior Superintendent of Police Navneet Singh Bhullar during ‘Samwad’ program held at the Press Club, Haridwar on Monday.
The program was inaugurated by lighting a lamp jointly by District Magistrate Mayur Dixit, SSP Navneet Singh Bhullar, Press Club President Dharmendra Chaudhary, General Secretary Suryakant Belwal, and senior journalist Kaushal Sikhola.
Addressing the program, District Magistrate Mayur Dixit stated that the district administration and related departments have completed all preparations and arrangements for the successful conduct of the Kanwar Mela, and that sector-wise officers have been deployed to ensure that visiting Shiva devotees do not face any difficulties. Any shortcomings in the arrangements will be immediately rectified.
He stated that the Kanwar Mela 2026 has begun, and a large number of Shiva devotees have begun arriving in Haridwar. Many Kanwariyas are returning to their destinations carrying Ganga water. He added that this year, the Mela administration faces additional challenges due to the monsoon and various development projects. While construction work is ongoing on national highways, preparations for Kumbh Mela 2027 are also underway. Under these circumstances, ensuring the safety and convenience of millions of devotees is the administration’s priority.
The District Magistrate informed that all departments have completed preparations for the fair. The Food Safety Department has been instructed to launch a special campaign to prevent the sale of adulterated food items and to display rate lists. He said that the administration will operate with utmost vigilance during the fair period until August 15th.
He informed that schools will be closed from July 30th to August 11th, and instructions have been issued for online classes for students. Referring to the ongoing encroachment removal campaign led by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, he said that encroachments will be completely removed from key areas before the Kumbh Mela.
Senior Superintendent of Police Navneet Singh Bhullar said that the nature of the Kanwar Mela is constantly changing, and police strategies have been modernized accordingly. He explained that the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway will be kept out of the way, while devotees will travel via the Meerut-Delhi Expressway. Coordination has been established with officials from various states in this regard.
He clarified that DJ vehicles will be kept within the prescribed limits. If DJ vehicles violate the prescribed norms or disrupt the peace, strict action will be taken against them. Notices have already been issued to those who violated the rules last year.
Regarding social media monitoring, he said that for the first time, cyber commandos will be active during the fair. Immediate action will be taken against misleading, fake, or otherwise misleading videos circulating on social media He stated that general misleading videos will be removed within 36 hours, while AI-generated fake videos will be removed within approximately 3 hours. Coordination has been established with social media platforms and relevant agencies for this purpose.
He also informed that additional police forces have been called in from other districts to strengthen the security arrangements for the Kanwar Mela.
The District Magistrate and Senior Superintendent of Police answered questions posed by press representatives during the interaction.
