Pune police files complaint against social media posts linking coronavirus with poultry

Sachindra Pratap Singh, commissioner of animal husbandry said that the action was taken to stop the spread of such rumours which have affected the sales of eggs and poultry meat in the last few weeks.

Coronavirus, Pune Police, Pune Police Cyber Security cell, coronavirus animal husbandry, animal husbandry Pune, Pune news, city news, Indian Express

Since the rumours had surfaced, the sale of eggs and poultry protein have dipped substantially across the state. (File Photo)

The Cyber Security cell of Pune Police Thursday filed a non-cognizable offense against unknown people for spreading rumours on social media linking the coronavirus (COVID-19) with poultry meat.

Sachindra Pratap Singh, commissioner of animal husbandry said that the action was taken to stop the spread of such rumours which have affected the sales of eggs and poultry meat in the last few weeks.

The poultry industry had met the Minister of Animal Husbandry Sunil Kedar to seek his intervention in this regard. Singh said following the directions of the minister, his office approached the Cyber Security cell of both Mumbai and Pune Police and urged them to lodge complaints about such messages.

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“Our officers had worked in close coordination with the police in filing the complaint,” he said.

The non-cognizable offense was lodged under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

“This, we hope, will act as a deterrent for people from spreading such rumours,” Singh added.

The department had also taken steps to disseminate information about the same in hope of quelling such rumours.

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Over the last few weeks, social media posts have linked the spread of this dreaded virus with eggs and poultry. Since the rumours had surfaced, the sale of eggs and poultry protein had dipped substantially across the state.

Parthasarathi Biswas

Partha Sarathi Biwas is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express with 10+ years of experience in reporting on Agriculture, Commodities and Developmental issues. He has been with The Indian Express since 2011 and earlier worked with DNA. Partha's report about Farmers Producer Companies (FPC) as well long pieces on various agricultural issues have been cited by various academic publications including those published by the Government of India. He is often invited as a visiting faculty to various schools of journalism to talk about development journalism and rural reporting. In his spare time Partha trains for marathons and has participated in multiple marathons and half marathons. ... Read More

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