The police in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh , have filed a criminal case against a man who used Twitter to appeal for an oxygen cylinder for his gr...
The police in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, have filed a criminal case against a man who used Twitter to appeal for an oxygen cylinder for his grandfather, The Wire reported on Wednesday.
Shashank Yadav had not mentioned if his grandfather had the coronavirus. However, the police filed an FIR against him for allegedly circulating a rumour with the intent to cause fear or alarm.
The police claimed that the man was “spreading misleading information”, according to The Indian Express. Sub-inspector Virendra Singh of the Ramganj police station claimed that Yadav provided false information on oxygen supply and the coronavirus to target the Uttar Pradesh government. “It was found during the inquiry that because of the accused’s false tweet, several persons made allegations against the government,” Singh told the newspaper.
Yadav had initially sent an SOS using Twitter on Monday evening and tagged actor Sonu Sood. His friend Ankit amplified the message and sought help from The Wire journalist Arfa Khanum Sherwani.
A few hours later, she, in turn, posted a tweet asking for help for Yadav’s grandfather. None of these messages mentioned the coronavirus. Sherwani also tagged Union minister and Amethi MP Smriti Irani for help.
Need oxygen cylinder asap @SonuSood
— shashank yadav (@shashankdy999) April 26, 2021
Plz sir
In less than 30 minutes, Irani responded that she had called Yadav multiple times but was not...
