KOLKATA: The West Bengal Criminal Investigating Department on Wednesday arrested BJP Asansol IT Cell Secretary Tarun Sengupta for spreading “fake news and creating communal disharmony.”
The CID sleuths confirmed Sengupta’s arrest on Twitter saying he had shared fake content on Facebook that created “communal disharmony”.
“BJP IT cell secretary of Asansol was arrested from Gitanjali Apartment, Hirapore. He had uploaded a fake video of Muslim police officer beating a Hindu man,” ADG (CID) Rajesh Kumar told The Indian Express.
Tarun Sengupta, Secretary BJP IT Cell, Asansol, WB, arrested today for spreading fake news and creating communal disharmony. pic.twitter.com/GRWSPPnMq5
— CID West Bengal (@CIDWestBengal) July 12, 2017
Non-bailable sections of IPC were issued against Sengupta at Suri police station following a complaint lodged by a local politician. He will be produced at Suri court in Birbhum district on Wednesday, a police source said.
The accused had posted a fake video on his Facebook alleging that a Hanuman Bhakt was beaten up by two Muslim IPS officers on Hanuman Jayanti.
“Is Birbhum a part of Bangladesh or Pakistan? Nishat Parvez SP and ADSP Farhat Abbas ordered the brutal lathi charge and serious thrashing on the peaceful Hanuman Bhakts. Both these Muslim IPS officers were performing their religious duties of destroying the Kafirs and idol worshippers without even thinking of their service. Recently Mumtaz Begum’s Muslim appeasement and empowerment resulted such incident at Birbhum. Birbhum is next Bangladesh,” reads the post allegedly uploaded by Sengupta.
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Sengupta is the latest person to face non-bailable charges over ‘controversial post’ on social networking sites.
On Monday, Kolkata Police registered two non-bailable cases against BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma for passing off 2002 Gujarat riot photos as those from violence-hit Basirhat in West Bengal.
On Saturday, a 38-year-old man from Sonarpur was arrested for posting a photo from a Bhojpuri movie and relating it to Baduria’s situation.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already announced that “Action will be taken for spreading fake pictures and videos. The law will take its own course.”
“The people of Bengal will not tolerate the fact that some people are turning Facebook into ‘Fakebook’ by posting fake pictures and fake news for their political ends. We respect Facebook, but not any ‘Fakebook’,” she had said.