Aurangabad: The police are planning to set in place concrete measures to check rumours being spread through social media, state director-general of police Datta Padsalgikar said on Sunday.He announced this while responding to increasing concerns about lynching deaths and attacks on people after rumours spread through social media. Five of Marathwada's eight districts have reported incidents of people being attacked by mobs that were allegedly incensed by rumours of the presence of child-lifters or robbers near their communities. There were three deaths in Aurangabad district alone in June, one within the city limits.Padsalgikar insisted rumours being spread on social media were responsible for the killings.Padsalgikar was in the city on Saturday for the inauguration of the new Aurangabad police commissionerate. He told the press during the event that he was indeed worried about the lynching incidents. But he did not elaborate on what steps the police force was planning to take to check the rumours. However, he said the measures would be effective.Padsalgikar cited an example of Mumbai, where a woman caused panic after clicking photos of a couple at a shrine with a baby she believed wasn’t theirs.“Soon after her photos and the message went viral, scores gathered at the site. But the police reached the site and managed to determine the identity of the couple. They were then allowed to leave the site with the baby,” Padsalgikar said.“We consider this to be a serious matter," Padsalgikar said of the rumours and the aftermath. "We will keep a close eye on the sources of such rumours. Awareness programmes will also be held to warn citizens about such messages on social media.”The senior official added that the police would also take a series of steps to ensure social and communal harmony in the region.

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