Two arrested in Kolkata for fake social media post on Durga Puja

Kolkata : The Kolkata Police cyber crime cell on Thursday arrested two persons in connection with a fake news post on social media claiming that Durga Puja in the city would be banned this year.

The cyber crime unit arrested Keshab Chandra Mondal (32) and Subhojit Ghosh (42) on Thursday morning. The duo will be produced before a court.

Sources said the Kolkata Police might appeal to the court for police custody of the accused as they need more information about the matter.

Earlier, two youths – Prabhujit Acharya (26) and Raju Biswas (28) were arrested from Baranagar and Ghola area respectively by the Barrackpore Commissionerate’s cyber crime cell on Wednesday for circulating fake social media post on Durga Puja.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday slammed the fake news doing the rounds on social media. She spoke about fake news which said curfew would be imposed at night from Panchami during Durga Puja owing to Covid-19 pandemic.

It means no one would be allowed to go pandal-hopping at night during the five-day festival. The post was publicly marked as a Fake Post by West Bengal Police on social media.

“A rumour regarding Durga Puja is being spread through WhatsApp. No such decision has been taken. Please do not forward this message. It’s fake. Action is being taken,” WB police had shared the post on Twitter with a hashtag of #FakeNewsAlert.

The CM said that certain IT pages are spreading fake news that the government has banned Durga Puja. “If you can prove it, I will hold my ears and do 101 sit-ups in public,” she said, slamming rumourmongers.

The CM also asked the police to find the people who purposely spread fake news and make them hold their ears and do sit-ups.