LUCKNOW, Sept. 17 -- Nine cases have been registered against 58 people in Gonda over allegedly provocative and objectionable social media posts following the murder of trader Vinod Kumar Sahni. This prompted police to launch round-the-clock monitoring of online platforms amid fears that the digital campaign could aggravate caste tensions and turn into a law-and-order challenge.

"The cases have been registered at the Gonda cyber police station and the Tarabganj, Colonelganj, Parasrampur, Itiathok, Wazirganj, Motiganj and Nawabganj police stations. Most concern social media posts related to Sahni's murder and the controversy surrounding it," confirmed a senior police official privy to the development.

In a separate case in Nawabganj, poli...