THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
The city police have registered a case against Jacob Vadakkanchery for allegedly spreading panic on social media by questioning the government’s mechanism to prevent the spread of leptospirosis. Cantonment police said further action in the case will be taken soon.
In a statement, the City Police Commissioner P Prakash said legal measures will be taken against those who tried to trigger panic on social media. The Commissioner said criminal case will be taken those who like or comment on Jacob’s post.
Creation of fake or false messages, spreading them to cause panic or public disorder are criminal acts and are liable for investigation and prosecution, the police said. Those who forward such messages will also face investigation and prosecution, Prakash said in the statement. Jacob, a founder of Nature Life Hospital, in his social media post questioned the authenticity of the leptospirosis preventive medicines prescribed by the government.
In a recent FB video, Vadakkanchery theorised that doxycycline prescribed by the Health Department for prevention and treatment of leptospirosis could cause a fatal allergic reaction. He posted that he saw a conspiracy between pharma majors to exploit the leptospirosis scare to rake in profits by large-scale sale of their products.
Earlier, Health Minister K K Shailaja directed State Police Chief Loknath Behera to register a case against Jacob Vadakkanchery for sharing misleading information on rat fever. She said with the state facing a severe health issue in the form of leptospirosis and the department using all means to contain it , people like Jacob are using social media platforms for sharing false information and thereby create confusion among people.
