Tamil Nadu Police book news portal CEO, editor for 'fake news' on migrants' issue

Tamil Nadu police on Monday night booked the CEO and Editor of right-wing news portal OpIndia.com, Rahul Roushan and Nupur Sharma, for carrying “fake news” about migrants from Bihar being attacked in Tamil Nadu.

In a press release, the Avadi Police said a functionary of the DMK IT wing has filed a complaint alleging that Opindia.com has carried fake news that migrants from other states are being attacked, which could create panic among them.

Also Read | Man arrested for 'fake' videos of attacks on Bihar migrants in Tamil Nadu

“The police has booked a case against OpIndia.com CEO Rahul Roushan and editor Nupur Sharma, based on the complaint filed by the DMK functionary,” the statement said.

Several media outlets also aired visuals of migrant labourers heading back to their native towns and villages for Holi festival and inferring that they were fleeing Tamil Nadu. It all began with people in north India tweeting unrelated videos of people being beaten up and killed with a caption that at least a dozen migrant labourers from Bihar were beheaded in Tamil Nadu, triggering panic.

Many Twitter handles tweeted videos and pictures claiming that Biharis are unsafe in Tamil Nadu. Factchecker Mohammed Zubair has also called out several handles for spreading rumors about migrant labourers being attacked in the state.