The Tamil Nadu Police have filed three cases against media channels for allegedly spreading fake news about attacks on migrant workers, reported ANI.
The first information reports have been filed in the Tiruppur district.
Earlier this week, several rumours circulated on social media about attacks in Tamil Nadu on daily wage workers from Bihar and other northern states. The Tamil Nadu Police said that the claims were fake.
On Sunday, the state police booked Bharatiya Janata Patry leader Prashant Umrao, Patna-based journalist Mohammed Tanveer and an unidentified editor of Hindi newspaper Dainik Bhaskar for false reports about attacks on migrant workers in the southern state, reported The Indian Express.
On March 2, Umrao had claimed in a tweet that 15 persons were hanged for speaking Hindi in Tamil Nadu and 12 of them were dead, reported The News Minute.
Dainik Bhaskar had published a report claiming that nearly 15 Biharis were killed in Tamil Nadu and that residents of the state were being attacked for speaking in Hindi. The report also claimed that Biharis in Tamil Nadu were facing Talibani-style attacks.
On Saturday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said that those spreading rumours about attacks on migrant workers from Bihar were anti-nationals. He also assured his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar that the migrant workers were safe in the southern state.
“A few who find it hard to digest the peace and harmony prevailing in Tamil Nadu have been attempting to project the Govt of Tamil Nadu and its people in poor light,” he said. “They will not succeed.”
The DMK chief also said that videos on social media showed personal clashes between two groups, as well as visuals that were unrelated to Tamil Nadu. “Strict legal action will be initiated against those who deliberately post fake videos of migrant workers being attacked and spread fear and panic the state,” Stalin said.
The DMK government in Tamil Nadu has also launched a helpline number for migrant workers so that they can report any incident of harassment to the police. Stalin had also requested media organisations, television channels and social media users to act responsibly and not publish, forward unverified claims of such alleged attacks.
Stalin’s comments came two days after Bihar Chief Minister had asked officials to look into reports of attacks on migrant workers in Tamil Nadu. The Jharkhand government had also decided to send a team of senior officials to Tamil Nadu.
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