TN Seshan Death Hoax: I&B Minister Smriti Irani & Union MoS Jitendra Singh Fell Victim to Fake News
TN Seshan headed the Election Commission of India between 1990-96. The 85-year-old retired bureaucrat is now residing in Chennai.
New Delhi, April 8: Union Ministers Smriti Irani and Jitendra Singh were the latest to fell victim to the fake news circulating on social media claiming the death of former Chief Election Commissioner TN Seshan. Singh on Sunday tweeted the hoax news, paying homage to the ex-CEC, who is still alive at his residence in Chennai.
In his tweet, the Union MoS also tagged the Press Information Bureau, along with five others including Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The post was retweeted by Irani, who heads the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Both the leaders, after being pointed out by the Twitterati about the factual inaccuracy of news, deleted their tweets. LatestLY had warned its readers on April 2 about the death hoax.
Here is the screenshot of Jitendra Singh's tweet:
Irani retweeted the hoax message without verifying its factuality:
TN Seshan headed the Election Commission of India between 1990-96. During his tenure, some of the most remarkable poll reforms were undertaken, including a limit on candidate's expenditure per constituency, issuance of Voter ID cards and crackdown on all forms of bribery during the electioneering.
The 85-year-old retired bureaucratic is currently residing in Chennai. The death news hoax went viral on April 1, a day after his wife Jayalakshmi Seshan passed away. The hoax messages claimed that Seshan died a day after his wife's demise. However, the news was found to be untrue.
Embarrassment for Smriti Irani?
The faux pas by Irani comes at a time when her Ministry is contemplating stern measures to regulate the flow of fake news on the digital platform. Under her directions, the Ministry is reportedly considering to appoint a committee which will forge the framework for regulating online news.
The proposed committee will be led by top bureaucrats - Secretaries of I&B, Electronics and IT, MHA, Legal Affairs and Industrial Policy - along with the CEO of MyGov.in. Adequate representation will also be given to the Press Council of India, the News Broadcasters Association and the Indian Broadcasters Federation.
While speaking at an event in mid-March, Irani had stressed on the need to eliminate fake news from the information cycle.
Her Ministry also stoked a controversy after it issued an order earlier in the week which proposed lowering the accreditation of journalists, or completely suspending it, if he/she is found propagating fake news. The order, however, was rescinded after the Prime Minister's Office intervened.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 08, 2018 11:59 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).