Amidst the coronavirus pandemic which has wrecked havoc in the world, claiming 39,013 lives and 802,614 people globally so far, there have been several fake WhatsApp forwards doing the rounds. From "inhaling steam will kill the coronavirus" to "eating a vegetarian meal will ensure you won't get COVID-19", there are many such messages going around on the internet.
One such WhatsApp forward going around is that sharing of any message related to coronavirus has been declared a punishable offense by the Central Government. The message also says that only a government agency can post information on the coronavirus. The post is attributed to Ravi Nayak, Principal Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
Here is the post: All honorable members of the group are informed that right now any post related to Corona virus has been declared a punishable offense by the Central Government, only a government agency can post on Corona. In case of wrong post or message, action will be taken against the members of the entire group including the group administrator by registering a lawsuit under the IT Act, so keep in mind be safe! - Ravi Nayak, Principal Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
However, the above post is fake. Fact-checking website, Boom Live, spoke to an official from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the offfical clarified that there is no official named Ravi Nayak in the MHA. It was also found out that no such circular has been issued by the Ministry.
Also, on going through the Ministry's website, it was found out that there was neither any person with the name ‘Ravi Nayak’ nor there was a designation called Principal Secretary.
