Indian model Poonam Pandey fakes cervical cancer death, triggering a row | Social Media News
Pandey broadcasts demise as a result of illness on Instagram, inviting a flurry of stories and obituaries. A day later, she says it was a hoax.
An Indian mannequin has sparked a web-based backlash after revealing she had faked her demise in an Instagram publish as a part of a cervical most cancers consciousness marketing campaign.
Poonam Pandey “bravely fought the illness” and died, based on an announcement revealed on her social media on Friday, however the faux announcement was quickly met with on-line criticism that included accusations it was a “misleading stunt”.
A flurry of obituaries from media retailers adopted the unique announcement and her Wikipedia web page was additionally up to date to replicate her obvious demise, whereas Bollywood stars posted mournful tributes.
However others had expressed scepticism after noticing that footage of Pandey on board a ship in Goa, apparently in good well being, had been posted to her account 4 days earlier than the announcement.
On Saturday, the 32-year-old conceded to her 1.3 million followers in one other video posted on Instagram that her demise had been a hoax.
“Sure, I faked my demise, excessive I do know. However immediately all of us are speaking about cervical most cancers, aren’t we?” Pandey stated. “I’m happy with what my demise information has been capable of obtain.”
#PoonamPandey raised consciousness about 3 necessary issues:
1) Cervical most cancers
2) The laundry of demise – When some is (presumed) lifeless, everybody will say good issues about them. Stuff they by no means do when the particular person is alive.
3) The autumn of mainstream media – They’re going to publish something…— Ramesh Srivats (@rameshsrivats) February 3, 2024
Nonetheless, many lambasted Pandey for what one commenter described as her “attention-seeking behaviour”.
One other wrote: “Participating in a misleading stunt, like faking one’s demise, underneath the guise of ‘elevating consciousness’ … just isn’t solely unethical but in addition manipulative.
“Truthfully disgrace on you for this stunt. Subsequent time nobody will take your actual demise significantly!” they stated.
Pandey started her modelling profession in 2010 and has garnered a repute for outlandish stunts and risque behaviour.
She pledged to strip for the Indian cricket workforce in the event that they gained the 2011 Cricket World Cup at house, later posting a video on-line of her shedding her garments at Wankhede Stadium the place the match’s remaining was held.
Pandey parleyed her fame into a number of performing credit in Bollywood together with the 2013 erotic thriller Nasha, by which she performed a trainer who begins a sexual relationship with two highschool college students.
India accounts for practically one-quarter of the world’s cervical most cancers instances, based on the World Well being Group, with greater than 200 girls shedding their lives daily to the illness.
Well being campaigners have urged the federal government to roll out a nationwide HPV vaccination marketing campaign for younger ladies, which in different international locations has drastically reduce the incidence of cervical most cancers.
In her Instagram publish on Saturday, Pandey shared a quick clip exhibiting a speech by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on the federal government’s assist for cervical most cancers vaccination within the 2024 price range.
