In an election year, West Bengal topped in fake news cases on social media

West Bengal was followed by Telangana at 34 cases and Uttar Pradesh at 24

West Bengal recorded the highest number of recorded cases against fake news on social media in 2021, accounting for about one-fourth of the total such cases across the country, according to NCRB data.

West Bengal reported 43 cases of fake news on social media with Kolkata alone recording 28 of these cases, according to data published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

Bengal witnessed a high decibel electoral battle in 2021 between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition BJP with the two sides leaving no stones unturned in reaching out to the people.

Social media was heavily used by all political parties, including the TMC and the BJP, to push their narratives as they fought the election on the ground and online.

"This is a matter of concern but not surprising because political campaigns in the post-truth era are taking unethical means to reach out to the people. This is becoming more predominant," said Professor Chattopadhyay, head of Journalism and Mass Communication at Jadavpur University.

"More than a legal issue, this is an ethical one. We need to strengthen the ethical framework to tackle this menace. Some efforts are being made to make people aware but we need more concerted efforts so that people can spot fake news whenever they see one," he added.

West Bengal was followed by Telangana at 34 cases and Uttar Pradesh at 24. In all, India reported 179 such cases and West Bengal accounted for 24% of those.