The Nepali authorities are firing back stern warnings to abusive comments and commenters against the last month’s deadly floods in the country. The Prime Minister of Nepal Balendra Shah has warned that authorities will “show no leniency” to people who “belittle” those who are suffering.

“People who make unnecessary remarks, belittle those in pain or seek to cause them further suffering at this sensitive time are criminals,” Shah wrote in a Facebook post.

Some victims and survivors of the flood have taken to social media to appeal for information about their loved ones and to urge officials to step up search efforts, only to be hit by hostile comments. BBC reported that a woman whose brother had been missing since the floods hit two weeks ago, reached out to them to complain that the “search and rescue operations were too slow.”

“If the government had mobilised experts and equipment for rescue in time, would we have known the condition of our family members sooner? We still hope we can find him alive,” she told them. Days later, BBC wrote that she had “received many nasty comments” in response to her criticism of the search efforts. “We are already suffering so much and this has only added to our pain,” she said.

Another case covered by the same media, said a young woman had expressed her anger at what she perceived as authorities’ “lack of urgency” in searching for her husband. BBC wrote that in a viral video clip which also attracted its fair share of insults, the woman said, “My husband is missing now, if the government cannot find him, can it at least show me his body?” she said in a video clip that has gone viral online – and attracted its fair share of insults. One comment, for instance, urged her to “jump into the river” and help with the search, while another read, “not everything happens just by you putting the blame on the government”. But others have called out the insensitive remarks. “The victim should be consoled at this time, not cursed,” one of them read.

Nepali police say they have convened a 10-member committee to look into these online comments. Under the country’s Electronic Transactions Act, those who use social media to defame or harass others could be jailed for up to five years and fined up to 100,000 rupees ($662; £490), or both.

Author

Paul Olayioye