The secretary of BJP IT cell Tarun Sengupta from Asansol (West Bengal) was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for posting ‘fake’ images and videos on social media regarding the issue of communal disharmony which recently stirred Bengal. Notably, Sengupta is the third person to face action since Sunday on similar charges.
Earlier, Kolkata Police registered two non-bailable cases against Nupur Sharma, a BJP spokesperson in Delhi, for sharing on social media a photo of the 2002 Gujarat riots and claiming it to be an image captured during the communal violence at West Bengal’s Basirhat last week. Similarly, another man was arrested from Sonarpur for posting ‘fake’ pictures claiming those to be taken in Basirhat that was hit by communal violence. He was arrested by the Cyber Crime Cell of Kolkata Police for posting a still photo from a Bhojpuri movie and passing it off as one captured in Baduria near Basirhat in North 24 Parganas.
Sengupta has been booked under non-bailable sections of IPC. He will be produced in Suri court on Wednesday. According to CID sources, Sengupta made the post a video a few weeks ago.
CM of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee slammed the BJP for circulating fake, misleading images on social media aiming to trigger communal dispute.
“The people of Bengal will not tolerate the fact that BJP is using social media platforms by posting fake pictures and fake news to meet their political ends,” Mamata Banerjee said while addressing a public meeting. Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee has already announced that a judicial inquiry into the matter of floating fake pictures with political inclinations on social media.
“The purpose of this inquiry is to identify those who instigated the violence and spread the fake news on social media, using clippings and stills from a movie and of violence that took place in other places, even Comilla in Bangladesh,” the chief minister said.
