Kolkata police track fake social media posts on Durga Puja stampede

Kolkata Police have launched a crackdown on social media misinformation related to the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja stampede that killed 19 people. One person has been arrested for allegedly sharing an old video and falsely claiming the death toll was 60.

Kolkata: The sleuths of the cybercrime division of the Kolkata Police have started tracking social media handles attempting to spread misinformation about the October 17 stampede at the pandal of Chorbagan Sarbojanin community Durga Puja committee that claimed the lives of 19 people.

The city police, at the same time, have cautioned the general public to refrain from spreading misinformation about the tragedy on social media or even sharing any post without cross-verification.

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The cops have also issued an appeal to people to bring to their notice any such misleading posts on social media about the tragedy.

One person was arrested on Monday night on charges of making a misleading social media post about the Chorbagan Sarbojanin stampede.

According to the Additional Commissioner (Crime) of the city police, Kunal Agarwal, the arrested person is Ainul Haque, a resident of Cooch Behar district in North Bengal.

He has been accused of sharing an old video of a similar mishap that occurred at some other place, and also claiming that not 19 but 60 people have been killed in the stampede on Saturday night.

Haque has been charged under Section 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, which penalises making, publishing, or circulating false statements or reports likely to create enmity, hatred, or ill will between different groups.

A more detailed investigation into the matter has begun to find whether Haque is alone in spreading misleading information about the tragedy through social media or is a part of an organised group.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the pandal of Chorbagan Sarbojanin had 30 CCTVs installed. Out of these, the investigating team members have secured footage from 13 so far. The investigators are still examining the CCTV footage already available.

The investigating team members are yet to track the person or persons responsible for the misleading announcement that night which triggered panic among the devotees present within the pandal.