Strict Action against people spreading fake news on social media

On one hand, India is trying to fight the outbreak of Coronavirus and on the other, it is also looking at ways to bust the fake news that are doing the rounds. While addressing the state, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday warned of strict action against those spreading communal messages and “wrong messages” regarding the coronavirus outbreak on social media. 

 “The coronavirus sees no religion. I am warning those who are using social media platforms to upload videos, even for fun, while spreading wrong messages among people. Like COVID-19 virus, there is a communal virus too,” Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said during his Facebook Live.

Uddhav Thackeray’s remarks come amid reports of several such videos doing rounds on Whatsapp, TikTok and other social media platforms. Meanwhile, due to the Tablighi Jamaat ‘incident’ in Delhi’s Nizamuddin which created huge outraged in the mainstream media, some people are blaming the whole Muslim community. 

Mumbai Police apart from ensuring that the lockdown is being followed strictly and people are following social distancing is now also looking out for these people who are spreading misinformation through social media. Maharashtra Police has registered cases against as many as 71 people in this connection and appropriate action is being taken.  

The state health minister, Rajesh Tope on April 5, 2020, took to his Twitter to inform that the total number of cases in the state have now touched 690. Out of the new cases, 29 are from Mumbai and 17 are from Pune. Furthermore, he also shared that 56 people in the state have been cured and discharged from the hospital so far. 

In India, Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secy, Health Ministry, shared the total number of cases has jumped to 3, 374. There has been a big spike in the number of cases in the last 24 hours and as many as l,472 people have tested positive in this time frame. The death toll in India now stands at 79  of which 11 deaths have been reported since yesterday. So far 267 persons have recovered from Coronavirus or COVID-19 in India.