Tracking Murshidabad Riots: One Fake News At A Time

April 19, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

Hello,

As we've consistently highlighted, the mis/disinformation cycle is very closely linked to the news cycle. What's trending in headlines and hashtags often becomes fodder for viral false claims. 

This week, the focus is on the recent communal violence in Murshidabad, West Bengal. Read on!

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Context: Three people died and several more were injured in the communal violence reported in Murshidabad earlier this month. According to media outlets, state police have arrested at least 200 people for the unrest. While the situation still remains tense in the region, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and All India Trinamool Congress government in the state, led by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee continue to exchange barbs and blame each other for the violence.

How Misinformation Spreads: Like, Share, Repeat

Exhibit A: The official West Bengal BJP account shared a communal post, aiming to show that Muslims caused communal riots on Hindu festivals. The post contains a collage of nine images, shows burning vehicles, stone pelting and violence. 

The communally sensitive post by the handle @BJP4Bengal has since been withheld in India by X, in response to a legal motion. 

Fact: BOOM found that the claim is false. Eight of the nine photos in the viral collage date back to the 2019 anti-CAA protests. West Bengal BJP used the photo in a collage falsely claiming they show scenes from communal riots led by Muslims during Hindu festivals. 

Exhibit B: A video went viral claiming to show Bajrang Dal members entering Kolkata, West Bengal in scores amid the ongoing violence in the state. 

Fact: The video is actually from Maharashtra. Sangli Rural Police Inspector Kiran Chaugle confirmed to BOOM that the video was shot in February 2025, during a bike rally in the state. 

Read BOOM’s latest fact-checks related to Murshidabad riots here.

EXPLAINED

What SEBI’s Investigation Reveals About the BluSmart Scandal

Ride-hailing halt: BluSmart, a ride-hailing service affiliated with Gensol Engineering Ltd., has reportedly ceased accepting new ride bookings through its app in several key areas of major cities, including Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, and Bengaluru.

The SEBI spotlight: This development follows the investigation by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) that BluSmart's co-founders, Anmol Singh Jaggi and Puneet Singh Jaggi, diverted funds intended for the purchase of electric vehicles (EVs) to acquire a luxury apartment in Gurugram's upscale DLF Camellias project.

Now that SEBI's findings are public, how did this situation with BluSmart unfold? BOOM’s Hera Rizwan explains the intricate web of fund diversion.

DECODE

Interview: We’ve Used the Internet for Decades. Why Is AI “Melting GPUs”?

When Studio Ghibli met ChatGPT, the internet lost its mind — and it's cool. 

Ghibli-fied AI overwhelms OpenAI: The “Ghibli-fication” of AI not only captured imaginations but also sparked a rare public confession from OpenAI — their GPUs were “melting” under the weight of overwhelming demand. 

The hidden environmental cost of AI: AI might be invisible to the average user, but behind the scenes are massive data centres, relentless chip production, and a sprawling global supply chain, all placing unprecedented stress on the environment. The impact is no longer theoretical — from water shortages to air pollution, the cost of powering AI is showing up in ways we’re only just beginning to understand. 

Decode’s Hera Rizwan spoke to Shaolie Ren, an Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California, to unpack how AI’s energy hunger is evolving, who’s paying the price, and what it would take to build more climate-conscious, responsible technology. 

LAW, JUSTICE ET AL

Waqf Amendment Debate Moves To Supreme Court: All You Need To Know

In the courtroom: The Supreme Court was inundated with pleas for and against the Waqf (Amendment) Act (WAA), 2025 with its hearing held on 16 April. Political parties, private individuals, religious organisations and states filed pleas shifting the hotly contested issue from the parliament to a courtroom. 

The overarching plea, similar across several petitions, argues that the new Waqf Act essentially “threatens” to further marginalise the Muslim minority by encroaching on their religious identity and practices. This, the petitions say, undermines one’s right to freely practice their religion. 

BOOM’s Ritika Jain recaps a few arguments made for and against the Act.

'FAKE NEWS’ YOU ALMOST FELL FOR

🔍 A 2019 case of triple murder of a family in Murshidabad has been revived on social media with false communal claims, with posts suggesting that they were killed for being Hindus by a group of 'Rohingyas'. Read 🔗 Archis Chowdhury’s ↗️ fact-check.

🔍 Several videos went viral claiming to show the underwater remains of Ram Setu—the mythological bridge mentioned in the Sanskrit epic Ramayana. But, are they real? 🔗 Archis Chowdhury ↗️ tells you the truth.

🅱️ RECOMMENDS

This week's recommendation is: Generative AI and deepfakes are fuelling health misinformation. Here’s what to look out for so you don’t get scammed

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