WB Polls: Mithun’s Fake Accounts Are Tweeting Hateful Content

Twitter accounts impersonating the actor are sharing misinformation and hateful content ahead of the elections.

Several Twitter accounts have cropped in the name of the popular film star Mithun Chakraborty.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Actor Mithun Chakraborty caused quite a stir as he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in Kolkata, ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections. Several Twitter accounts have been created in the name of the popular film star, whose earlier stint as a Rajya Sabha MP had been in support of the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

Here’s a look at some fake accounts impersonating Chakraborty on Twitter.

Anti-Muslim Tweets & Misinformation

One account (@mithun_da_) in the name of the BJP campaigner, with over 29,800 followers at the time of writing this article, regularly tweets vitriol against Muslims, while praising BJP’s staunch Hindutva stance.

An archived version of this tweet can be accessed here.

An archived version of this tweet can be accessed here.

An archived version of this tweet can be accessed here.

The account was also responsible for spreading misinformation on climate activist Disha Ravi who was recently granted bail for her role in the controversial ‘toolkit,’ in a bid to malign her character.

Tweeting in Hindi, the user posted that Ravi was a ‘single mother’, while condemning those pointing out her age, since she was clearly old enough to have and raise a child outside of marriage.

You can view an archived version here. 

Several fact-checking websites including The Quint’s WebQoof team had debunked the claim. Ravi isn’t a single mother and is in fact, a child of a single mother, who’s the sole breadwinner of the family.

It also tweeted an image of a Left Front rally, dating back to 2019, as a recent one from Prime Minister Modi’s Brigade Parade Ground rally in Kolkata.

You can view an archived version here.

How Do We Know It’s a Fake Account?

Going through the replies of some of the old tweets on the account, we noticed that users had replied to a user, ‘Sonuniga_M’

However, this account impersonating singer, Sonu Nigam, no longer exists.

Further, we looked up the account’s Twitter ID (1281894502274265089) and found that it was earlier tweeting under the handle (@Sonuniga_M)

Other Fake Accounts

Another account that operates under the user ID @M_Chakraborty16, which had over 30,000 followers at the time of filing this story, is also impersonating Mithun Chakraborty to share anti-Muslim hate content and share unverified information.

An archived version of the tweet can be accessed here.

The handle also indulged in sharing misinformation around Indian government providing vaccine at lower prices as compared to other governments across the world, a claim which has been debunked by The Quint.

An archived version of this tweet can be accessed here. 

We found that even this account is fake.

Comment by a twitter user suggested that the said account was previously operating under the username @SwetaaSinghAT.

We then searched @SwetaaSinghAT on Twitter and found a host of comments, which mentioned @M_Chakraborty16 under now deleted tweets.

An archived version of the tweet can be accessed here.

An archived version of the tweet can be accessed here.

An archived version of the tweet can be accessed here.

Interestingly, the said account has been purged of all activity before 7 March.

An archived version of the account can be accessed here.

Another impersonator account of the Bollywood actor has gained traction in light of the West Bengal Assembly election. @MithunChakBJP, which earlier operated under the username @PMOIndiaArmy has over 9,000 followers.

Evidently, fake accounts of actor-turned-politician Mithun Chakraborty have cropped up ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections. These accounts are not only becoming breeding grounds of misinformation but are also actively spreading hate against one community.

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