IT News
Mumbai, April 17
The Maharashtra Government has decided to take action against all those, including social media, responsible for spreading misinformation that special trains will be run to enable migrant workers to return to their native places, which led to labourers’ agitation near Bandra railway station in North West Mumbai on Tuesday.
While self styled leader of UP and Bihar workers, Vinay Dubey has been remanded to police custody till 21 April, on charges of inciting workers to demand special trains or proceed to their native places by padyatra, a reporter of a Marathi TV channel Rahul Kulkarni was arrested and released on bail.
The channel maintained that the news that the railways may run special trains was aired based on a circular issued by the South Central railway. The news was aired out on Tuesday early morning and it was withdrawn when it became clear that the lock down was extended till 3 May, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation. Besides, the channel also carried clarification that no special trains will be run. Kulkarni covers Osmanabad district.
On Tuesday daily wage labourers who are not able to earn since the government imposed a nationwide lockdown on March 25, gathered at the station in large number. They were hoping that the lockdown would end on April 14, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that the lockdown has been extended till May 3.
Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Thursday said that the wrong information was spread through 11 mediums, including a video clip circulated by Dubey and other social media posts. The police has collected information about all accounts and the action will be taken against them.
On acceptance of a cheque of Rs 25,000 given by the accused Vinay Duby, as a contribution to Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, Deshmukh said that one person (auto rickshaw driver) came to him and handed over the cheque to him. He never knew Dubey and he merely accepted the cheque, in absence of the chief minister, like the cheques are accepted from other citizens.
