Police forces across States have sharply expanded dedicated social media monitoring cells over the past five years, reflecting the growing use of digital platforms in crime detection, public order management and intelligence gathering. The latest police infrastructure data shows that such cells increased from 262 across 28 States and eight Union Territories on 1 January 2020 to 365 on 1 January 2024.
Rise in Dedicated Monitoring Units
The growth indicates a shift from ad hoc cyber monitoring to specialised units. Earlier, such functions were often handled within cybercrime police stations. From 2021 onwards, these cells began appearing as distinct units in official police organisation data.
States with the Largest Networks
A few States account for a large share of these units.
- Bihar has 52 social media monitoring cells.
- Maharashtra has 50 cells.
- Punjab has 48 cells.
- West Bengal has 38 cells.
- Assam has 37 cells.
Manipur saw a notable rise from three cells in 2020 to 16 in 2024, despite prolonged internet suspension during 2023. Assam expanded from one cell in 2022 to 37 in 2024. West Bengal increased from two to 38, while Punjab doubled its count from 24 to 48 between 2022 and 2024.
Cybercrime and Digital Policing Capacity
The increase in monitoring cells has been accompanied by broader growth in cyber policing infrastructure. Cybercrime police stations rose from 376 in 2020 to 624 in 2024. Police officials view these units as necessary to track misinformation, hate speech, online fraud and coordinated mobilisation on platforms such as Facebook, X, Snapchat, WhatsApp and Instagram.
Other Key Police Infrastructure Indicators
The 2024 police data also recorded 1,147 drones with State and Union Territory police forces, compared with 1,010 in 2023. At the same time, vacancy levels remained high, with 5,92,839 police posts vacant against a sanctioned strength of 27,55,274. The actual strength included personnel from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes, underlining the continuing challenge of manpower shortages in policing.
Last Modified: April 25, 2026