LETTER FROM NEW DELHI

The stunt only lasted 24 hours, but it sparked a heated controversy. On February 2, a statement released by her agents on her Instagram account announced that Poonam Pandey, the 32-year-old Indian second-rank model and actress, had died of cervical cancer. Indian media and social media, rarely meticulous, shared the news widely, publishing obituaries and eulogies. Pandey's Wikipedia page was updated.

Her PR team told India Today that her cancer had been detected some time earlier at an advanced stage and that her funeral would be held in her native Uttar Pradesh. However, some skeptics had noted that pictures of the young woman on a boat in Goa, apparently in good shape, had been posted on her account four days before the announcement.

The following day, February 3, amidst the commotion, Pandey confessed in a video posted on Instagram – where she has 1.3 million followers – that she was in perfect health and had acted as part of a campaign to raise awareness for cervical cancer. "I am alive. I didn't die of cervical cancer. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same of the hundreds and thousands of women who have lost their lives due to cervical cancer."

This video immediately triggered a storm of criticism about the method, the point of her stunt and her desire to draw attention to herself. Indeed, Pandey is known for her provocations and exhibitions. In 2011, during the Cricket World Cup, she declared that she would strip if India won the tournament, and, in 2019, Facebook banned her account for inappropriate content.

The All Indian Cine Workers Association said it wanted an investigation against her for "hurting the sentiments of the people." In a statement, it said, "Strict action against [Pandey and her agents] is necessary so that such types of fake news will not be circulated by anyone." It also said, on X, "Using the guise of Cervical Cancer for self-promotion is not acceptable."

Perhaps Pandey's PR stunt will encourage women to get tested, as thousands of websites on the disease have been viewed since. But does the end justify the means? Misleading the world to attract attention and playing on emotions at a time when the battle is on against "fake news" seems a less than laudable method, even for a good cause – especially in India, where social media pollutes the quest for reliable information.

The only silver lining is to have shed a light on the prominence of the disease in the country. Cervical cancer is the second-most common cancer among Indian women: over 100,000 women are diagnosed each year, the majority at an advanced stage.

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