Man booked over tweet asking for oxygen cylinder in UP; Police claims false demand

Making such tweets are not only condemnable but also an offence, the police said on his tweet

Uttar Pradesh police arrested a youth, who had taken to Twitter to seek help in getting oxygen for his maternal grandfather, after it was found that his 88-year old grandpa did not suffer from Covid-19 and had died of heart attack.

The youth, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Amethi district was charged with ''spreading rumours and spreading misleading information with the intention of creating fear and panic,''.

According to the sources, the youth, identified as Shahashank Yadav, tagged Bollywood actor Sonu Soon, Union Minister Smriti Irani and others in his tweet in which he sought help in getting oxygen for his maternal grandfather.

Also read: Medical oxygen, key to fight Covid, used to be feared

District officials said that they tried to contact the youth but his phone was switched off. ''We managed to trace him later and found him sleeping at his home,'' said a district official in Amethi on Wednesday.

On being queried, Shahshank said that his grandpa, who was being treated at a hospital outside the state, had died of cardiac arrest and that he did not need oxygen.

''We booked him under the Epidemic Act and other relevant sections of the IT Act,'' said a police official.