The rape-murder incident at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal has been marred by misinformation and social media trials. The situation has escalated to the point where the focus is shifting from crucial issues to conspiracy theories.
“Real issues surrounding the RG Kar case: women's safety, corruption, political interference in educational institutions etc, are slowly moving away from the centre of discourse and being replaced with sensational conspiracy theories. Since social media is dominated by RWs,” posted Jayati, a PhD candidate at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
One of the most prominent examples of this is the targeting of Dr Arshean Alam, a house staff member at RG Kar Medical College. His name has been dragged into the case without any evidence, purely based on misinformation circulated on social media. A tweet by the right-wing user Hindutva Knight (@HPhobiaWatch) falsely accused Arshean and another Muslim house staff of being protected by the Bengal government, a claim that was debunked by an investigation conducted by Alt News.
The Kolkata Police also served a notice to the user and many others for spreading misinformation.
According to a report by Alt News, Arshean Alam was at home on the night of the crime. CCTV footage from a shop near his house confirmed that he entered his home at 1.16 am, well before the crime was committed, and did not leave until after 5 am. Alt News also confirmed that there was no alternative exit from his house that could have been used without being detected.
The Kolkata Police's Joint Commissioner (Crime), Murlidhar Sharma, who was directly involved in the investigation before the case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), stated that Arshean was not involved in the crime.
Additionally, there have been rumours that the police and administration are trying to shield Subhadip Singh Mahapatra, allegedly the son of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Soumen Mahapatra. These rumours have also been debunked.
As clarified by many news reports, Subhadip Singh Mahapatra is the son of a school teacher in Bankura, not Soumen Mahapatra. The TMC leader's son is Bodhisattwa Mahapatra, Block Medical Officer of Health (BMOH) in Panskura, Midnapore East.
Both Subhadip and Arshean have lodged an FIR against the misinformation being spread about them and against the circulation of their picture.
PhD scholar Jayati also pointed out the communal angle being pushed by right-wing groups. Through her social media handle, she tweeted stating, "RWs have also floated a list of 'suspects'. No evidence. 4-5 Muslim names, and a Hindu name from the list of students/interns at RG Kar."
On Wed, Aug 21, 2024 at 7:30 PM Mrittika Banerjee <mrittika97b@gmail.com> wrote:
RG Kar rape-murder fake news: Social media trials and misinformation obscuring the real issues?
Both Subhadip and Arshean have lodged an FIR against the misinformation being spread that they are the real culprits of the RG Kar rape-murder incident along with their picture
In the aftermath of the reape-murder incident at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal, the case has been marred by misinformations and social media trials. The situation has escalated to the point where the focus is shifting away from crucial issues into conspiracy theories.
“Real issues surrounding the RG Kar case: women's safety, corruption, political interference in educational institutions etc, are slowly moving away from the centre of discourse and being replaced with sensational conspiracy theories. Since social media is dominated by RWs,” Jayati, a PhD candidate at IIT Bombay, took to X (formerly Twitter).
One of the most prominent examples of this is the targeting of Dr Arshean Alam, a house staff member at RG Kar Medical College. His name has been dragged into the case without any evidence, purely based on misinformation circulated on social media. A tweet by the right-wing user Hindutva Knight (@HPhobiaWatch) falsely accused Arshean and another Muslim house staff of being protected by the Bengal government, a claim that was debunked by an investigation conducted by Alt News.
The Kolkata Police also served a notice to the user and many others for spreading misinformation.
According to a report by Alt News, Arshean Alam was at home on the night of the crime. CCTV footage from a shop near his house confirmed that he entered his home at 1.16 am, well before the crime was committed, and did not leave until after 5 am. Alt News also confirmed that there was no alternative exit from his house that could have been used without being detected.
The Kolkata Police's Joint Commissioner (Crime), Murlidhar Sharma, who was directly involved in the investigation before the case was handed over to the CBI, stated that Arshean was not involved in the crime.
Additionally, there have been rumours that the police and administration are trying to shield Subhadip Singh Mahapatra, allegedly the son of TMC leader Soumen Mahapatra. These rumours have also been debunked. As clarified by many news reports, Subhadip Singh Mahapatra is the son of a school teacher in Bankura, not Soumen Mahapatra. The TMC leader's son is Bodhisattwa Mahapatra, Block Medical Officer of Health (BMOH) in Panskura, Midnapore East.
Both Subhadip and Arshean have lodged an FIR against the misinformation being spread about them along with their picture.
PhD scholar Jayati also pointed out the communal angle being pushed by right-wing groups. Through her social media handle she tweeted stating, "RWs have also floated a list of 'suspects'. No evidence. 4-5 Muslim names, and a Hindu name from the list of students/interns at RG Kar."
