Police On Lookout For Woman Who Posted Misinformation

Odisha police have sought details of a woman for posting misinformation on social media about the deadly train accident that took place in Odisha last week. The woman, Shakunthala S, a resident of Tumakuru near Bengaluru is said to be a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker. The woman had shared an aerial photograph of the accident site, with a pointer towards a structure near the track that many others claimed on social media to be a mosque. Following the outrage, the post on Facebook was removed. Similar photographs were shared by many others on Twitter but the claims later appeared to be far from the truth. Verifications by multiple reputed fact- checkers found that the structure was an ISKCON temple and not a mosque as alleged by many. Following this, the Odisha police issued a warning. It has come to notice that some social media handles are mischievously giving communal colour to the tragic train accident at Balasore. This is highly unfortunate. Investigation by the GRP, Odisha into the cause and all other aspects of the accident is going on, the police said. We appeal to all concerned to desist from circulating such false and ill-motivated posts. Severe legal action will be initiated against those who are trying to create communal disharmony by spreading rumours. The collision involving two trains and a freight train occurred Friday evening in Odisha’s Balasore district. Official estimates pegged the death toll at 275.