The Bengal cabinet on Thursday approved 25 more cyber crime police stations to curb increasing crimes committed through computer networks or devices.

The move comes at a time social networking sites are being used to spread hatred, particularly in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack.

The state now has only a handful of cyber crime police stations, like those in Calcutta and Salt Lake.

“Each of the 24 police districts will have a cyber crime station. The chief minister wants to ensure safety for everybody in the state. This will help the government prevent the spread of hatred and other cyber crimes,” minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said after the cabinet decision on Thursday. Bhattacharya added that 248 posts for the new cyber crime stations had been sanctioned and the police allowed to hire 48 consultants.

“After the Pulwama attack, some people are spreading hatred through social networking sites. The chief minister wanted to deal with the situation firmly,” said a source.