Maharashtra MLC seeks action against Poonam Pandey for spreading fake news

Poonam Pandey

Maharashtra MLC Satyajeet Tambe on Saturday demanded that Mumbai Police take action against model-actor Poonam Pandey for putting out fake news of her death, reported the PTI.

According to the PTI, a case should be registered against Poonam Pandey to make an example of her for those who resort to such stunts to promote themselves, said Tambe, an independent member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council.

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A day after the news of her death from cervical cancer dominated the news cycle and led to intense debate on social media. Poonam Pandey announced on Saturday that she was alive, and the fake news was published to spread "critical awareness" about the disease, as per the PTI.

Action should be taken against her as she "made or published false or misleading information," Maharashtra MLC Satyajeet Tambe said in a statement, the news agency reported on Saturday.

"The news of an influencer/model dying of cervical cancer cannot be a means to spread awareness about the disease. The entire episode takes away the serious nature of cervical cancer and diverts the attention entirely to the influencer," Satyajeet Tambe said.

The actor pulled a prank on cancer survivors rather than raising awareness, he added.

The model-actress shocked everyone with a fake announcement of her own death. In a video, she admitted feeling proud of the attention her death hoax garnered, stating that it served as a way to raise awareness about cervical cancer, the supposed cause of her demise. However, many in the industry, including her friends, aren't quick to forgive her for what they deem as an 'insensitive' joke.

Poonam posted a video where she said, "I am alive. I didn't die of cervical cancer. Unfortunately, I can't say that about those hundreds and thousands of women who have lost their lives because of cervical cancer."

On Friday, a post on Poonam Pandey's Instagram handle claimed that the actress had passed away due to cervical cancer, shocking her fans. A day later, Poonam Pandey took to her Instagram to reveal that she is alive.

In a video, she said, "I am alive. I didn't die because of cervical cancer. Unfortunately, I cannot say that about those thousands of women who have lost their lives because of cervical cancer. It is not because they couldn't do anything about it, but because they had no idea what to do about it. I am here to tell you that, unlike other cancers, cervical cancer is curable."

(with PTI inputs)