Kolkata Police has rubbished reports of inaction against an alleged abduction of a Hindu girl by some Muslim men, calling such reports “rumours to spread communal hate.”
A false rumour being spread on social media about a missing minor girl held captive in a Metiabruz house and police being afraid of raiding house.Don’t believe in rumours being spread to create communal tension. All indulged in spreading rumour wud be severely dealt with.
— Jt CP Crime, Kolkata (@KPDetectiveDept) April 17, 2018
The reaction of Kolkata police came in the backdrop of multiple reports shared on social media about the abduction of a minor Hindu girl by some Muslim men and the police exercising extreme caution before raiding the place.
In the wake of widespread outrage over Kathua and Unnao rape cases, many netizens in Kolkata have been sharing fake news reports about the abduction of a minor Hindu girl from Kolkata in June last year.
One such report, published in an online news portal News Bharati, states that despite Kolkata police’s knowledge of the location of the abducted girl, it hasn’t raided the “sensitive” area out of fear.
It names Vinod Das, a staffer of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, whose minor daughter has been abducted by one Korban Ali and his son Mintu Sheikh. According to the report, Das had approached West Bengal police but was turned down, citing law & order concerns in a “sensitive” area. The area – Metiabruz – where the abducted girl is reportedly held, is a Muslim-dominated area, the report says.
But Kolkata police has trashed rumours and asked people to not to heed to such information.
It has also said that “all indulged in spreading rumour would be severely dealt with.”
Rise in communal violence in West Bengal
Communal violence has sharply increased over the past three years in West Bengal, according to the data compiled by the Union Home Ministry.
In 2o15, the state recorded 27 incidents of communal violence, which doubled to 58 communal incidents in 2017.
Last year, widespread communal violence broke in Basirhat area of North 24 Paraganas over an “objectionable” post on Facebook.
Just last month, West Bengal’s industrial towns of Raniganj and Asansol witnessed clashes between Hindus and Muslims following Ram Navami celebrations on March 25. Three people were killed and several injured in the violence that lasted for days.
