Visuals of local youths resting in a mall due to power outages in Kolkata are being shared with a communal angle

The incident has no communal significance. Residents from the surrounding areas gathered in Quest Mall to complain about the city’s frequent power outages.

A video has gone viral on social media, stating that the Quest Mall in Kolkata is being swarmed by Muslims from a nearby slum. They entered the Mall owing to a power outage in the neighbourhood and requested free food and gifts for Ramzan. 

The caption of the post states, “Quest Mall, Kolkata, 2day at 10:30 About 250 Muslim slum dwellers barged in demanding permission to stay in as city temp is 43C. The video taken by a guard was objected to by the trespassers who wanted free food from food court after sun down and free gift for Eid from”

Fact Crescendo found the claims made along with the viral video to be False and shared with a misleading communal claim. 

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Fact Check- 

We started our investigation by running a relevant keyword search on Google, whose results led us to a news report which carried the same image. As per the news report, the visuals show residents of Radha Gobindo Saha Lane and Dilkhusha Street in Kolkata, taking rest in the nearby Quest Mall, as the area is reeling under heat and long-duration of power outages.

So, the people in the neighbourhood area of the mall came to the mall as there were severe power outages and the temperatures were soaring. This has been given a communal spin by claiming that Muslims have taken over the mall and were demanding food and gifts for Ramzan.

In further search we also found a video report by Aaj Tak Bangla, dated 18 April, 2023 elaborating on the incident.

None of the reports mentioned that people who “barged” into the mall were from a particular religion, or they “demanded free food from Food Court or  Eid free gift. Neither of the reports mentions any scuffle between the people and mall authorities as well.

There are other news reports, saying that power cuts caused by the tripping of distribution boxes, transformers, and cable faults have triggered protests in pockets of Kolkata. The demand for electricity had shot up to record levels on 18 April 2023, according to a report from the Times of India. Moreover, the temperature in Kolkata has been crossing the 40 degrees Celsius mark in the past few days. These reports can be viewed here & here. 

Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC) has also addressed the power outages and urged customers to use electrical appliances judiciously. It is interesting to note that the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group (RPSG Group) owns both the CESC and the Quest Mall.

Earlier, the detective chief of Kolkata police told media that their investigation revealed that the youth entered the mall to take rest under the AC, as the neighbourhood is reeling under power cuts. And the youth left after a while and there is no deterioration of law and order.

According to an article from the Times of India published on 20 April, 2023; The Quest Mall management has filed a complaint with the Kolkata police over misrepresentation of the entire incident.The mall’s Vice-President Sanjeev Mehra had described the incident humanitarian one, although entry into the mall after the closing hours undesirable.Later the youths were escorted out in presence of the police. 

As the video went viral on social media the management of the mall also issued a clarification refuting the viral narrative associated with the video, and terming it as blatantly false. The management had posted a clarification on their social media handles 

Conclusion-

Fact Crescendo found the claim made along with the viral video to be Partly False. Youth from the surrounding area entered the mall to escape the heat caused by a power outage, which is twisted with a communal aspect.