A partial arrest list from the violence in Malda, West Bengal (WB) is viral with a misleading communal claim that only Hindus were targeted.
BOOM found that the viral list is incomplete. The full list, accessed by BOOM, shows arrests across communities.
Violence broke out in Malda’s Mothabari after participants of a Ram Navami procession alleged firecrackers were hurled at them near a mosque. A day after, on March 27, a mob protested at a police barricade and pelted stones at the security personnel. The West Bengal police has since arrested 63 accused and suspended internet services in the region to curb unrest.
The viral post contains photos of a document, 'Accused Challan' listing the names of 21 accused. It also includes a graphic by TV9 Bangla showing WB Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee posing on stage with Muslim religious leaders.
Tushar Ghosh, head of media relations at the WB unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) posted the partial list on X with the caption, "On the occasion of Eid, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the entire government is "with them." She isn't lying at all. In Motabari riot, Hindu homes were set on fire, shops were vandalized, and out of the 21 people arrested, all of them are Hindus."
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
Fact Check
BOOM found the viral list to be incomplete. The full list of arrests includes names from all communities, not just Hindus.
We first looked for the graphic in the post and found that it is a post by news channel TV9 Bangla, highlighting CM Banerjee's assurance to the Muslim community on behalf of the government during her address on Red Road in Kolkata for Eid on March 31, 2025.
We then reached out to Sambhav Jain, Additional Superintendent of Police (SP), Malda district who refuted the viral claim.
Jain said, "The claim that only Hindus were arrested are false. Individuals from communities other than Hindus were also arrested for the violence in Mothabari."
BOOM then verified that the viral photo is one of a batch of documents, listing the names of arrested accused presented before the magisterial court in Malda. The viral photo, dated March 29, 2025, indicates the 21 accused presented before court on the said date and is part of official court records on the incident.
We accessed the list of accused presented in court on March 28, 2025, and found names of 13 more arrested accused. All the 13 names do not belong to the Hindu community.
While we are not including the list in the story, BOOM was able to verify that the arrested accused do not belong to only one community.
Calling the viral claim fake, Additional SP Jain added, "The police have taken action against those involved in the clashes, regardless of their religion."
The Malda police also issued an alert on their Facebook page, calling the viral claim misinformation.
The post states that on March 27, 2025, the police arrested five accused, after reports of stone pelting between two groups. The Malda police later made more arrests, rounding up 21 accused, for their role on the violence that broke out on March 28, 2025, which left several police personnel injured.
The Malda police further confirmed that a total of 63 people were arrested for the violence, unlike the viral claim that only 21 accused have been arrested.
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
