Guwahati: While Wikipedia is a powerful tool for accessing information, it can sometimes be misused to spread misinformation. This was the case with the Wikipedia article about former Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain, which was edited to claim that he died on June 21, 2023.
Gohain is alive and well and is currently in Nagaon but the edited article stated “he died 21 June 2023” without any further context.
This misinformation could have caused confusion for anyone who was seeking information about Gohain.
The Wikipedia article was edited by a user named ZengManhu, whose account has since been deactivated or removed.
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The edit was made on June 21, 2023, the same day that Gohain is alleged to have died.
NorthEast Now accessed the edited version of the Wikipedia article on Rajen Gohain at 9 PM IST on July 17, 2023.
It is important to note that anyone can edit Wikipedia articles, so it is important to verify the information that you find there.
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In this case, the misinformation about Gohain’s death was quickly corrected by other users.
It may be mentioned that the 72-year-old politician and senior BJP leader has represented the Nowgong constituency since 1999.
He won the seat for a consequent four terms till 2014 before being denied the party ticket in 2019.
In 2019, he was replaced by the current legislator of the Nowgong LAC, Rupak Sharma but he lost and the seat went on to the Congress from BJP’s hand.