BJP's Prashant Umrao booked after tweet claiming ‘attack on Bihar migrant workers in TN'

• FIR registered against Twitter user Mohammed Tanvir, BJP spokesperson Prashant Patel Umrao under IPC for misinformation, claims that migrant workers were attacked in TN
• Tanvir tweeted two videos alleging that Hindi-speaking people were attacked in Tamil Nadu 
• After the TN DGP's clarification, the Bihar Police on Friday said the videos circulating on social media were “misleading”

The Tamil Nadu police on Saturday registered an FIR against Twitter user Mohammed Tanvir, whose profile described him as a journalist, and Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Prashant Patel Umrao under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for misinformation and claims that migrant workers were fatally attacked in Tamil Nadu.

Tanvir tweeted two videos alleging that Hindi-speaking people were attacked in Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu Director General of Police C Sylendra Babu on Thursday made it clear that there were no targeted attacks on Hindi-speaking people in the state. Babu also posted a video explaining that both videos had nothing to do with hate crimes against Hindi-speaking residents. After a clarification from the Tamil Nadu DGP on Friday, the Bihar Police said the videos doing the rounds on social media were “misleading”.

According to the report, the Tiruppur North police have booked Tanveer, editor of the daily, under Sections 153(A) (promoting enmity between different groups) and 505(i)(b) (intent to cause fear or alarm to the public) of the IPC. The Tiruppur Cyber Crime Police also booked the editor under the same sections along with Information Technology Act 56(D).

Meanwhile, the Thoothukudi Central Police registered a case against Umra for spreading false information under IPC sections 153 (intentional provocation with intent to cause riot), 153A, 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace) and 505 (statement leading to public mischief) on Saturday, March 4 the message added. Umrao tweeted that “12 migrants from Bihar were hanged to death in Tamil Nadu for speaking in Hindi”, sharing a picture of Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin.

Meanwhile, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday said a four-member team would visit the southern state to assess the situation. “As soon as I got acquainted with the newspaper, I ordered the officials to look into the matter. They have spoken to the Tamil Nadu government and announced that a team should be sent from here,” said Nitish Kumar, adding that a four-member team would look into the matter in detail.

Kumar on Thursday expressed concern after an alleged video of “attacks” on migrant laborers from Bihar working in Tamil Nadu surfaced on social media. The matter also rocked the Bihar assembly in the pre-lunch session on Friday.