Maharashtra government initiated action against a news TV channel, Times Now, for running false news about Cabinet Minister Jitendra Awhad and his daughter testing positive for COVID-19.
Maharashtra Home Minister, Anil Deshmukh, took to twitter and said on April 15 a news channel ran a false report that Jitendra Awhad’s daughter was tested positive while she was returning to India from Spain. And action will be taken against such news channel for running false news.
कायद्यानुसार सुध्दा मुलींचं नाव जाहीर न करण्याचे नियम आहेत. गैर जबाबदारपणे बेछूट हेतूपुरस्सर या वृत्तवाहिनीने जे केलं ते अत्यंत गंभीर आहे.
देशाभरात कोरोना संसर्ग व प्रादुर्भावामुळे भीतीचं वातावरण असताना घब्राट पसरवणाऱ्या खोट्या बातम्या दाखवणं खूपच चुकीचं आहे.— ANIL DESHMUKH (@AnilDeshmukhNCP) April 15, 2020
This came after Jitendra Awhad wrote a blog on Facebook speaking about the news report that Times Now had run about his daughter. On Wednesday, Jitendra Awhad, Housing Minister, Maharashtra released his coronavirus test report, which came negative, after some media reports claimed that he had tested positive.
In the blog, ‘Forgive me, I lost’, Awhad said: “It all started from March 8, I was still holding meetings of SRA to solve questions raised by poor people. During which many people told me to stay home and take care of myself due to coronavirus outbreak, but I didn’t listen and continued with my work. But when government announced lockdown, I started thinking about what to do and how to help people. That’s when, with help of few friends and supporters, I started distributing food to needy people.”
He further writes about a person who used to visit his place regularly. “That person, was tested positive and hence as responsible citizen I went and got tested. I also took some people working with me and got them tested too, out which few tested positive,” he wrote. At the end of the blog he wrote that on April 15, Times Now ran a report saying he and his daughter had tested positive for coronavirus.
मला माफ करा मी हरलो…@supriya_sule @PawarSpeaks@AUThackeray @Jayant_R_Patilhttps://t.co/aMyE5rMi6u
— Dr.Jitendra Awhad (@Awhadspeaks) April 15, 2020
I m fit and fine
Working on streets
But some channels using me for #TRP
Interesting to know that they think people watch this also @ANI @PTI_News
Plz c the report
Undoubtebly i was over exposed for over a month
God is kind who are kind to others pic.twitter.com/UkOAxXTRKk— Dr.Jitendra Awhad (@Awhadspeaks) April 15, 2020
Earlier, Maharashtra government has taken action against a news channel for running fake news. On Wednesday, a TV journalist was arrested for spreading misinformation about resuming of railways, which led to a huge gathering of migrant labourers outside Bandra railway station on Tuesday.
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