Poonam Pandey „bravely fought the disease“ and died, according to a social media statement, but the fake announcement was soon met with online criticism.
A popular Indian model and actress has sparked an online backlash after revealing this weekend she had faked her death in an Instagram post as part of a cervical cancer awareness campaign.
Poonam Pandey „bravely fought the disease“ and died, according to a statement published on her social media Friday, but the fake announcement was soon met with online criticism that included accusations it was a „deceptive stunt.“
A flurry of obituaries from media outlets followed the original announcement and her Wikipedia page was also updated to reflect her apparent death, while Bollywood stars posted mournful tributes.
But others had expressed skepticism after noticing that footage of Pandey aboard a boat in Goa, apparently in good health, had been posted to her account four days before the announcement.
„I hope this is not a publicity stunt disguised as creating awareness for cervical cancer, which would be unethical and irresponsible, especially when dealing with sensitive issues like health awareness,“ one commenter wrote on Friday.
