Maharashtra MLC seeks action against Poonam Pandey for spreading fake news

Maharashtra legislator Satyajit Tambay on Saturday asked Mumbai police to take action against model-actor Poonam Pandey for posting fake news.

Tambay, an independent member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council, said a case should be registered against Pandey to set an example for those who use such stunts to promote themselves.

A day after news of 32-year-old Pandey’s death from cervical cancer dominated the press and sparked heated debate on social media, it was announced on Saturday that she was still alive and that the fake news was posted to spread “critical consciousness” about this disease.

MLC Tambe said in a statement that action should be taken against her as she “produced or published false or misleading information”. “News of an influencer/model dying from cervical cancer must not be a means of spreading awareness about the disease. The entire incident erases the seriousness of cervical cancer and shifts the focus entirely to the influencer,” Tambe said.

He added that the actor played pranks on cancer survivors instead of raising awareness.

(This article has not been edited by News18 staff and is published by PTI)