Mall files police complaint over ‘false’ claims of youths demanding food, gifts
The police said they are looking into the matter.
2 min read
Quest Mall in Kolkata. (Express Photo by Partha Paul) The management of a mall in Kolkata has lodged a complaint with the city police’s cyber crime cell against alleged attempts to spread false information regarding an incident wherein it was claimed that some youths from the neighbourhood demanded food and gifts from shops in the complex on April 16.
A video had gone viral on social media where some people were seen squatting and standing in Quest Mall as the weather outside was hot. Sharing the video, some social media users claimed that these people, mostly slum-dwellers, demanded food and gifts from shops after barging into the air-conditioned mall.
The mall authorities, however, refuted these claims, saying some local youths entered the mall a power cut in their neighbourhood around midnight when visitors’ entry was closed but some customers were still around at the multiplex and restaurants.
The youths wanted to complain to the mall authorities, run by RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group which also runs Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC) that supplies electricity to the city, they said.
Mall vice-president Sanjeev Mehra said, “A completely false narrative is being circulated on social media. A power failure occurred in the surrounding area. Some 20 -25 people came and sat in the mall. They wanted to complain about the power cut.”
Mehra added, “They did not do anything. They only wanted the authorities to listen to their grievances. There was nothing like demanding food and gifts as all shops were closed at that time. After few minutes they all left. We have CCTV footage to back our claim.”
The police said they are looking into the matter. The Indian Express visited the mall and its surrounding area on Friday and found that a power cut had indeed taken place on last Sunday.
A shopkeeper from the area said, “Some people went inside the mall to complain against the power cut. I don’t know who they were. But they were local people.”
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