A former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Co-convenor for social media in Tumkur district, Shakunthala Nataraj, has been accused of spreading communal hatred through a now-deleted tweet. The tweet suggested that a "mosque" near Balasore in Odisha was responsible for the recent triple train accident that occurred on June 2. Despite the information being declared as misinformation, Nataraj shared the post on her social media handle.
The tweet included a viral image showing an aerial view of the Balasore train accident, with a structure resembling a mosque near the railway track. As Fridays are considered a sacred day of worship in Islam, some social media users began implicating the structure as the cause of the accident. However, various fact-checks have revealed that the white building in the image is actually the Bahanaga ISKCON temple. Another Twitter user, known as The Random Indian (@randomsena), also tweeted (now deleted) that "Balasore is a hub of illegal Rohingya Muslims." Despite the backlash received, this user went on to draw comparisons between a train accident in Odisha in 2009 and the recent triple train tragedy.
Shakunthala Nataraj swiftly joined the social media trend by sharing the same post, highlighting the structure near the railway track on platforms like Twitter and Facebook. When confronted with accusations of spreading hatred on Facebook, she responded by stating that her intention was not to provoke or incite, and that she did not mention any specific caste or religion in her post. She claimed to be discussing a tragic incident and left the interpretation up to the readers.
Several Twitter users also tagged Shakunthala Nataraj in a tweet from the official account of the Odisha Police Department, urging social media users to refrain from attaching communal angles to the incident. The police emphasized that they would take legal action against those attempting to create communal disharmony by spreading rumors.
The Additional Superintendent of Police in Tumkur District confirmed that they have not yet received information regarding the matter but are actively investigating it.
It is worth noting that Shakunthala Nataraj had previously announced her resignation from her role last year following the murder of fellow worker Praveen Nettaru. She cited feeling unsafe in a party that provided no protection or recognition to its party workers as a reason for her decision. However, despite her resignation, Nataraj has remained a party worker.
In 2009, same train, Coromandel Express got derailed in Odisha, on a Friday. Same train, same state, same day. That’s what I meant by the ‘Friday’ reference but my tweet was misinterpreted by many. So, I’m deleting my tweet to put an end to all of this. But it was actually a… pic.twitter.com/HsPwpVVV2x
— The Random Indian (@randomsena) June 4, 2023
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.
— Odisha Police (@odisha_police) June 4, 2023
Investigation by the GRP, Odisha into the cause and all other aspects of the accident is going on.