Maharashtra MLC seeks action against Poonam Pandey for spreading fake news

A day after the news of her death from cervical cancer dominated the news cycle and led to intense debate on social media

Mumbai, Feb 3 (PTI) Maharashtra legislator Satyajeet Tambe on Saturday demanded that Mumbai police take action against model actor Poonam Pandey for putting out fake news of her death.

A case should be registered against 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.

A day after the news of her death from cervical cancer dominated the news cycle and led to intense debate on social media -- PTI never confirmed the death in its reporting -- 32-year-old Pandey announced on Saturday that she was alive, and the fake news was published to spread "critical awareness" about the disease. Action should be taken against her as she "made or published false or misleading information," MLC Tambe said in a statement.

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