The West Bengal Police has issued a stern public warning, urging citizens not to circulate false information regarding the alleged arrests of Bangladeshi nationals. This clarification comes in response to a wave of social media posts that claimed state police forces were taking legal action against individuals from the neighbouring country.
Police Clarification on Social Media
In an official statement posted on its social media channels, the Bengal Police directly addressed the misleading claims. The force explicitly stated that information about detaining several citizens from a neighbouring country in connection with a recent incident there is completely unfounded. The police appealed to the public to exercise caution and refrain from sharing unverified rumours that could create unnecessary panic and disrupt communal harmony.
Monitoring and Tracing the Source
To combat the spread of this disinformation, the police's social media monitoring cells were activated from the outset. As investigators dug deeper into the origin of these posts, a concerning pattern emerged. Lalbazar, the headquarters of the Kolkata Police, detected signs of 'foreign involvement' in the orchestration of this rumour campaign. The probe revealed that a significant portion of the fake news was being amplified through coordinated forwarding and retweeting, suggesting a deliberate attempt to mislead.
The Danger of Cross-Border Misinformation
The incident highlights the growing challenge of managing misinformation that transcends borders. The police noted that the viral social media forwards are believed to have been generated from across the border. Such false narratives not only strain police resources dedicated to fact-checking but also pose a risk to the social fabric by sowing distrust and confusion among communities. The authorities continue to vigilantly monitor online platforms to prevent the escalation of such baseless claims.
