Odisha Train Crash: Hindutva Forces Propagating Hatred to Create Communal Riots
Odisha: Hindutva cyber pages are propagating hatred in light of the recent train crash that happened in Odisha this week. The accident involved the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, and a goods train. It took place around 7 pm on Friday near Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore, 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar.
Even as pictures and videos of the accident began to circulate, some social media users tried to give a communal twist to the accident by claiming that there was a mosque near the site of the accident. An aerial view image of the crash started gaining traction after some social media users pointed out a white building located near the crash site and mistakenly labeled it as a mosque.
Social media handles managed by right-wing cells are propagating that the incident happened on a Friday and was planned by Muslims in the locality. The handles shared a photo of the ISKCON temple, falsely stating that it’s a mosque where Muslims offered congregational prayers and planned this crash on that day.
Assistant Station Master SB Mohanty, who was in charge of Bahanaga Bazar railway station at the time of the accident, is now under investigation by railway authorities. Indian railway officials denied any dialogue about a conspiracy and released a press statement mentioning that the crash happened due to signaling errors.
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