Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier warned of fake campaigns over social media in an attempt to create unrest during the festive season. Her apprehensions have come to be true in connection with two incidents in two parts in Kolkata- at Narkeldanga and West Port where Kolkata Police had stated on the social media that both these incidents were fabricated. “An attempt has been made on social media to create a fake narrative about the incident at Narkeldanga. No Kali Puja immersion procession was attacked. Issue was related to parking of a bike which led to fight between two individuals and further escalated. However, police intervened timely and brought situation under control. The scheduled Kali Puja immersion procession was completed peacefully and without any hindrance,” the Facebook page of Kolkata Police read clarifying what exactly happened at Narkeldanga on Friday.
Another false narrative was circulated in social media claiming that a Kali Puja mandap was vandalised following an alleged sexual assault on a child. “The social media claim about the West Port incident misrepresents the facts. The narrative of vandalism at a Kali temple or Puja mandap is misleading and unsubstantiated. In reality, the conflict arose over a POCSO case, leading to tensions between groups associated with the victim and the accused. There was an escalation of the situation when some persons were involved in stone pelting and vandalism in the area. Police acted swiftly and dispersed the mob while ensuring complete protection of the Kali Puja pandal nearby, and prevented further unrest,” the Kolkata Police posted on its Facebook page. The police further asserted that spreading false claims only fuels unnecessary tensions and diverts attention from the actual issue where a child was sexually assaulted by an accused who was swiftly arrested as soon as the information was received by West Port Police Station.