Poonam Pandey on Saturday made an appearance on social media and said she is "alive", a day after there were reports that the actor had died of cervical cancer.
Poonam Pandey, the controversial model and social media personality, faced severe backlash from netizens on Saturday for faking her own death to purportedly raise awareness about cervical cancer. What initially appeared to be a tragic announcement turned out to be a disturbing publicity stunt that triggered widespread condemnation, sparking calls of her boycott and arrest.
The uproar began when reports emerged claiming that 32-year-old Poonam Pandey had succumbed to cervical cancer on Thursday night at her residence in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur. An post on her official Instagram handle on Friday read, "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 for privacy while we remember her fondly for all that we shared," the statement read.
Suspicions arose shortly thereafter, as numerous Instagram followers questioned the authenticity of the news, citing Poonam Pandey's recent sightings in Goa just three days prior, and her frequent appearances before that. However, the truth unraveled when she resurfaced on social media platforms on Saturday, asserting her existence and attributing the false news to raise awareness about the disease. Netizens were quick to denounce her actions, branding the entire episode as a shameful and cheap publicity stunt.
In a video posted on her Instagram account today, Poonam Pandey said, "I feel compelled to share something significant with you all - I am here, alive. Cervical Cancer didn’t claim me, but tragically, it has claimed the lives of thousands of women who stemmed from a lack of knowledge on how to tackle this disease."
Pandey said she wants to spread "critical awareness" about the disease and ensure every woman is informed about the steps to take. "Together, let’s strive to put an end to the devastating impact of the disease and bring #DeathToCervicalCancer," she wrote.
However, Pandey's attempt to justify the stunt fell flat as netizens criticized her for exploiting a sensitive issue to garner attention. Her experiment to grab attention by simulating her demise for the sake of awareness was met with outrage and disbelief. Many individuals expressed their outrage on various social media platforms, calling for a boycott of the model and her PR agency. The incident highlighted the gravity of trivializing serious health issues for personal gain and raised questions about the ethical boundaries of publicity campaigns.
"When #PoonamPandeyDeath was announced yesterday; the way it was portrayed seemed fishy and unbelievable. So naive of #Bollywood to even react and so idiotic of Poonam to do something like this. This is wrong in so so many ways. She needs to be ignored. #media should boycott her for such stunts @MIB_India There needs to be criminal offence registered against her for faking death," wrote one outraged user on X, formerly Twitter.
Another added, "She as a person is altogether fake, what ever she says is also fake. Boycott Poonam Pandey."
A third irked user said, "So Poonam Pandey is alive. She faked her death to create awareness about cervical cancer But truth is it was not about to create awareness All it was about to create fear and push people for Bill Gates funded vaccine Boycott such fraud people."
A fourth netizen called for her arrest, stating, "Arrest this attention seeker , fraud as soon as possible."
"Police should arrest her for misleading public and playing games pn cervical cancer She needs attention and publicity," added a fifth user.
Here's a look at how netizens reacted to Poonam Pandey's 'cheap and shameful' publicity stunt, with several calling for her boycott and arrest:
died yesterday because of and today her Ghost came live to give gyan about Cervical Cancer. Few days before faked her arrest and now this C grade actress faked her death and successfully fooled not only the public but the whole media too.… pic.twitter.com/izCcTLr8V3
— NCMIndia Council For Men Affairs (@NCMIndiaa)'Babumoshai Zindagi Badi Honi Chahiye, Lambi Nahi'
Poonam Pandey doing an 'Anand', but coming back to life!
What a bad way to create fear, all for a campaign! Harsha Bhogle's kidnap, Kapil Dev's arrest and now Poonam Pandey's death! pic.twitter.com/dlnn7isZ8F
It's not awareness 🚫
It's social fraud 😑
One can go underground just by announcement himself dead so that his debt becomes null
It is a serious crime.
Arrest Poonam Pandey
It is so shameful and disgusting publicity stunt. Police should arrest this woman and media ban her as soon as possible. Is it joke?
Shame on you
So Poonam Pandey is alive. She faked her death to create awareness about cervical cancer
But truth is it was not about to create awareness
All it was about to create fear and push people for Bill Gates funded vaccine
Boycott such fraud people pic.twitter.com/wQ61bWpPzA
As Expected ! All Of This Was A Publicity Stunt !
All The People Who Were Questioning Her Were Right !
pic.twitter.com/FAVWOajEOJ
When was announced yesterday; the way it was portrayed seemed fishy and unbelievable. So naive of to even react and so idiotic of Poonam to do something like this.
This is wrong in so so many ways.
She needs to be ignored. should boycott her…
Poonam Pandey is alive, issued video on Instagram claiming the stunt was awareness for Cervical Cancer. Now, Media houses should collectively boycott her PR Agency and put a ban on covering any news about her
— Joy (@Joydas)’s cheap publicity stunt.
Relieved that she is alive but sad that people are now using death news as a means of publicity.
BTW Today MUNAWAR IG LIVE ON 7PM. pic.twitter.com/2UcO87whEh
CHEAPEST publicity stunt EVER..!!!
Disgusting Poonam Pandey
Worst publicity stunt ever 🤡 pic.twitter.com/IAMTWaQAAe
— Sia⋆ (@siappaa_)There u go.. i had my doubts yesterday itself... What a cheap stunt
Poonam Pandey https://t.co/cfNixMdgZy pic.twitter.com/GOBSm0rEHG
Poonam Pandey 😡😡😡😡😡
Cheap stunt. Shame on you for belittling a serious ailment like cancer.
Disgusting to the core, playing wid emotions n sentiments by faking your death not at all gud deed whtevr d reason it would be, however I also agree, it's a CHEAP PUBLICITY STUNT in d name of gud deed
SHAME ON YOU POONAM PANDEY
🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 https://t.co/hngR0Rylns
Poonam Pandey's death hoax was a cheap stunt to draw attention to cervical cancer. This is not how you raise awareness for a serious disease that affects millions of women.
Shame on her! pic.twitter.com/ePpuMrMJyf
Poonam Pandey’s stunt is a shoddy communication job. Whoever thought of this strategy for her should be fired. Shameful to use such serious conditions for cheap publicity.
— Shuja ul haq (@ShujaUH)Faaak yu Poonam Pandey!!
Cancer is not a joke. You have 100 ways to create awareness but this cheap publicity stunt was uncalled for.
The incident underscores the need for responsible use of social media platforms and ethical conduct in raising awareness about critical health issues. Faking one's death, especially in the context of a serious illness like cervical cancer, is not only insensitive but also undermines genuine efforts to educate and support those affected by the disease.
The controversy surrounding Poonam Pandey's fabricated death serves as a cautionary tale against the pitfalls of chasing virality at the expense of integrity and sensitivity. It is a wake-up call for both influencers and their audiences to discern between authentic advocacy and attention-seeking gimmicks in the digital age.