Mumbai: Maharashtra legislator Satyajit Tambe has demanded criminal action against actress Poonam Pandey for spreading fake news about her death. Pandey’s publicity stunt diverted attention away from the issue of cancer and she should be booked for spreading rumours, he said.
A case should be registered against Ms 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.
The MLC said the cheap publicity stunt robbed the seriousness of the issue of cervical cancer. “She has pulled a prank on cancer survivors,” he added.
He said Mumbai Police should take action against Poonam Pandey and serve as an example for those promoting their identity by such means under Section 195 (1) of Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 since Pandey made or published false or misleading information jeopardising the sovereignty, unity and integrity.”
A day after the news of her death from cervical cancer dominated the news cycle and led to intense debate on social media, 32-year-old Pandey announced on Saturday that she was alive, and the fake news was published to spread ‘critical awareness’ about the disease. She said the message of her ‘death’ was issued to spread awareness about cervical cancer.
