BJP's Prashant Umrao, two others booked for spreading fake news about killing of Bihari workers in Tamil Nadu

A case has been filed against BJP leader Prashant Umrao, who is the spokesperson for the Uttar Pradesh unit of the BJP, for spreading rumours on social media about the killing of Bihar migrant workers in Tamil Nadu.

A case has also been registered against the editor of Dainik Bhaskar and the proprietor of Tanvir Post for spreading enmity and provoking riots, reports NDTV. 

In a now deleted tweet, Prashant Umrao shared a photo of Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, and said "12 migrants from Bihar were hung to death in Tamil Nadu for speaking in Hindi."

Umrao has a record of peddling fake claims and misinformation on social media, reports News Laundary.

In July 2021, Umrao falsely claimed that 280 orphan minor girls were made pregnant in Teresa missionary and their babies sent abroad for trafficking. He deleted the tweet later but not before it had gone viral, reports Alt News.

The same month, he claimed that the “Muslim community filed a petition in the Supreme Court against holding ‘Mata ki Chowki’ and other Hindu rituals at public spaces”. He ended his tweet with a question: “Should Hindus allow Namaz and Muharram on roads?”

Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) Sylendra Babu has said that videos being circulated on social media showing migrant workers being attacked in the southern state were false. "Someone in Bihar has posted a false and mischievous video saying that migrant labourers of Bihar were attacked. Two videos are posted and both are false videos,” Babu said.

Fake news has been circulating on social media that migrant labourers are being brutally beaten up in Tamil Nadu. Reacting to this, the Coimbatore district collector said that wrong information is being spread.

Chief Minister MK Stalin has issued a statement assuring the safety of migrant workers in the state. "Migrant workers need not fear. If anyone threatens you, call on the helpline. Tamil Nadu government and people will stand to protect our migrant brothers," he said.