Kerala: WhatsApp groups a threat to harmony

KOZHIKODE: The WhatsApp groups in the state are running amok threatening the peace and communal harmony of the people.  There is no official  body to keep a check on the WhatsApp groups that spread fanatic messages, videos and audios among the participants. The state high tech cell has also expressed its helplessness in controlling them  as the messages  are transferred through the internet.

Numerous WhatsApp groups operate  inside and outside the state, mainly consisting of non-resident Keralites. While some are harmless,  many others are communal and   drug trafficking groups.  While fundamentalists impose restriction on their community members, they also exhort them to avoid mingling with the other communities. The issue came to the fore recently when a newspaper was attacked for publishing a comment that hurt the sentiments of a community.