Purulia: Laboratory tests on packaged food has nailed fake news circulated by a BJP leader from Bengal. Robin Singh Deo, the party’s Purulia district secretary, was arrested on Friday after he claimed that powdered beef was mixed with sattu (gram flour) and served to local students under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) by the TMC-led state administration.

He played on the perception that Mamata Banerjee appeases minorities for votes, and clandestinely distributing beef among students was an attack on Hindus.

He not only spread this news through social media, but also made a written complaint to the block development officer (BDO).

“Our enquiry committee sent the sattu produced by them for testing. It is found from the test report that no animal protein is present in the packet,” read the BDO’s complaint to the local police station. “So, their video clipping showing beef is present in the packet in misleading and false, which may arise communal problem [sic].”

Purulia has been a crucial district for the BJP, and a major area of expansion. The party stunned everyone by getting 644 seats of 1921 in gram panchayats seats in the election held on 2018.

Massive protests broke out following Singh’s arrest on a moving train, with a mob swamping the Purulia district court. There was a local shutdown in Joypur on Saturday.