DMK files FIR against OpIndia CEO, editor for ‘fake news’ on migrant workers: Police

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu police have registered a case against web portal OpIndia’s chief executive officer and editor on charges of “spreading fake news” about targeted violence against migrant labourers, a statement by the state police said.

A statement by Avadi city police commissionerate said the case was registered against the portal’s CEO Rahul Roushan, editor Nupur Sharma and other staffers on a complaint by Suryaprakash, divisional secretary of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK) IT cell that their posts on Twitter were creating apprehension among migrant workers.

“An investigation is underway,” the statement said on the first Information report lodged (FIR) by Thiruninravur police station.

The Tamil Nadu police have earlier filed FIRs against Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai, the Twitter handle of the BJP’s Bihar unit @BJP4Bihar, BJP spokesperson Prashant Umrao and Dainik Bhaskar newspaper’s editor, Mohammed Tanveer, for their social media posts and statements.

The FIRs come against the backdrop of an effort by the governments of Bihar and Tamil Nadu to stop unverified information from circulating on social media relating to attacks on workers from Bihar. A team of officials from Bihar also travelled to Tamil Nadu on Saturday and spoke to representatives of migrant workers, labour contractors, and NGOs to verify allegations of targeted violence against migrant labourers in the southern state.

“We are satisfied by the steps taken by the Tamil Nadu government and the district administration in ensuring the safety of workers to allay the fears from their minds,” Bihar rural development secretary Balamurugan said on Monday.

In Bihar, images of workers returning from southern states for Holi were being circulated with misleading claims of mass exodus. In the past few days, purported videos of workers being beaten circulated on social media were found to be fake and from other states.

Tamil Nadu DGP Sylendra Babu earlier insisted that the videos of assault being shared on social media were not from the state and warned of action against those spreading rumours.

The state has also set up special helplines in districts such as Erode, Coimbatore, and Tiruppur for migrant workers in distress to contact them.