CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government’s fact-check unit has dismissed as fake news social media claims suggesting that hostility towards migrant workers was behind the murder of a migrant worker and his family in Chennai.
In a clarification issued on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, the fact-check unit said that the murder of Gourav Kumar, along with his wife and child, was not linked to any hate crime or violence against migrant workers, as alleged in several online posts.
According to the police, five migrant workers from Bihar — Sikandhar, Narendra Kumar, Ravindhranath Thakur, and Vikas — have been arrested in connection with the case. The arrests, the government said, clearly establish that the crime was not driven by regional or ethnic hatred, contrary to claims circulating on social media.
The fact-check unit warned that false narratives portraying Tamil Nadu as unsafe for migrant workers could disturb communal and social harmony in the State. It also noted that spreading misinformation and hate-based content is a punishable offence under the law.
Urging the public to exercise caution, the government appealed to citizens not to forward unverified or misleading information, and to rely only on official sources for updates related to the case.