Far from the usual “Where u at?” or “WAN2 GO 2 MV?”, Maoist rebels in Jharkhand (it’s a state in India – don’t worry, I had to look it up too) have taken to using SMS messages for psychological warfare against the government!
Sukhdeo Singh, principal secretary to Chief Minister Madhu Koda, received an SMS Wednesday from the mobile number of Chatra district Deputy Commissioner (DC) Puja Singhal that Maoist rebels had killed the district superintendent of police (DSP) along with 25 security personnel in an ambush.
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The same evening, Singhal received an SMS from the DSP’s cell phone that said: ‘Please come, we are holding a janata durbar’.On contacting the DSP, Singhal realised that he had not sent any SMS.
This is a classic disinformation and terror campaign, but done through sophisticated – yet elegantly simple – means. Proof that even grassroots can and do find ways to make technology suit their goals. Now they just need to vote for Jharkhand’s Next Top Model and they’ll be all set.
Source: Indo-Asian News Service, via EarthTimes.org
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