Death reports of Atal Bihari Vajpayee circulate on social media
- By Web Desk -
- Mar 30, 2018
NEW DELHI: Social media in India is rife with death reports of former prime minister and Bharatiya Janata Party stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee, with no official word from the BJP to quash viral ‘misinformation’.
According to India Today, a torrent of messages are being circulated on WhatsApp and social media platforms that Mr. Vajpayee is no more, while the internet is abuzz with obituaries to the 93-year-old two-time Prime Minister.
Times Now reports that BJP has not released any statement about Mr. Vajpayee’s death reports.
In 2015, the headmaster of a primary school in Balasore district of Odisha went quite far with his speculation on Vajpayee’s dead.
After getting the misinformation that Vajpayee was dead from a fellow teacher, headmaster Kamalakanta Das went to the extent of holding a memorial in Vajpayee’s memory, and declaring a school holiday.
Das was placed under suspension after some locals complained to the district collector about his ‘memorial’ service.
The oldest living former prime minister of India, Vajpayee suffered a stroke in 2009 which affected his speech. The Bharat Ratna awardee reportedly suffers from dementia and diabetes and is confined to a wheelchair. Reports say that the acclaimed parliamentarian once known for his memorable speeches but now he remains isolated from public life.