The reported death of Indian actress Poonam Pandey at the age of 32 due to cervical cancer has stirred controversy and created confusion among netizens, who question the authenticity of the news in the absence of concrete evidence. Poonam Pandey's official Instagram handle stated that she had succumbed to cervical cancer, and the news of her alleged demise spread across news channels and websites.
However, netizens began raising doubts about her Instagram post as there is no evidence to support the claims as of now. People are asking for medical reports and noting that there are no photos of her dead body or funeral released yet. Some social media users are suggesting that this news is a gimmick as they say she's promoting the HPV vaccination against cervical cancer because, incidentally, the news comes a day after Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, presented the Interim Budget for 2024-25 in Parliament, proposed a plan to encourage vaccination against the human papilloma virus (HPV) to prevent cervical cancer.
"This morning is a tough one for us. Deeply saddened to inform you that we have lost our beloved Poonam to cervical cancer. Every living form that ever came in contact with her was met with pure love and kindness. In this time of grief, we would request privacy while we remember her fondly for all that we shared," the Instagram post read.
One user tweeted, "Poonam Pandey must be alive because no media so far has reached her Kanpur house, no medical reports are public, and no dead body or funeral photos. Poonam Pandey's Death is some gimmick."
Another posted, "Some people are suspecting Poonam Pandey is not dead, and this could be a publicity stunt to create awareness against #CervicalCancer. Do we have any latest video or news from her family?"
Another X user said, "Why do I feel Poonam Pandey is not dead 🤔."
Actress Sambhavna Seth has gone on record saying that she met Pandey with a common friend some days back, and the reality TV actress made no reference to suffering from cancer, nor did she show any signs of it. "Just think how strong she was; she never even mentioned it," Seth told a news channel.
Bigg Boss 15 fame and singer Rahul Vaidya also questioned about Poonam pandey's death. He posted tweet on social media which says, "Am I the only one who thinks Poonam Pandey is not dead.. ??!!"
One username the skin doctor said that "Cervical cancer patients don't die suddenly, out of nowhere. Just checked Poonam Pandey's Instagram. Until four days ago, she was fine, posting glamorous media. If she is indeed dead, it needs to be investigated. There were reports of a troubled relationship with her husband in the past that involved the police. And 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."
Poonam's publicist isn't answering phone calls after issuing the statement that she received the information about the death of the actress from a relative of hers. The email that carries the name of Nikita Sharma as Pandey's manager carried fake contact details that trace back to a person in West Bengal who hasn't even heard about the actress, according to the IANS report. As mystery blankets the whereabouts of the actress, no details are available yet about her funeral.