Fact Check: News of PM Narendra Modi Announcing Internet Shutdown in India for 10 Days, Starting 12 Midnight is Fake; Know The Truth Behind Viral WhatsApp Message

New Delhi, March 25: Fake messages on WhatsApp, Facebook and other social media websites and mobile apps are being circulated rampantly amid the coronavirus lockdown not just in India but around the world. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing a countrywide lockdown amid the rising cases of coronavirus in the country, a few netizens took to social networking sites and claimed that the Internet would also be suspended for 10 days. Soon after the first tweet of a supposed internet ban, people started sharing the message and even took a swipe at it, asking PM Modi if the news was true.

Though the news making the rounds on the social media that internet is being suspended for 10 days -- starting 12 midnight -- there has been no official confirmation made by any government official at any forum. So, the rumour of an internet shutdown down by the Government of India is fake, and it has been circulated wither as a joke or conspiracy. Fact Check: Audio Clip Claiming Nagpur Has 59 Positive Coronavirus Cases Is FAKE; Here’s the Truth Behind the Viral WhatsApp Message.

However, with rumours of internet ban spreading like wildfire, there were some who asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi if the news about internet shutdown was true or fake! Here are some of the tweets:

Idk how true is this but I just recieved a pic on WhatsApp saying there will be internet shut down for a week 🥺

Modi ji what's this behaviour

— Neal Caffrey (@notyourguy46) March 26, 2020

@sudhirchaudhary

Good evening sir!!

Is it true that internet service will shut down from 12 am

Sorry to disturb you

Your Early reply will be appreciated

— Tushar sachdeva (@Tushar73196877) March 26, 2020

मेरे ट्विटर के सभी साथियों के लिए बुरी खबर हे, की आज रात 12 बजे के बात इंटरनेट बंद होने वाला है ।

अब घर में बैठे मक्खियां मारनी पड़ेगी ।

हाय हम लूट गए बर्बाद हो गए ।

— आदिवासी अशोक अड़...Voice Of Bhilisthaan... (@bhilashokadd) March 26, 2020

@aajtak आज रात 12:00 बजे से इंटरनेट सेवा बंद हो जाएगी क्या

— Shishpal Jaat (@ShishpalJaat5) March 26, 2020

परम् आदरणीय प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi जी ऐसी तेज अफवाह उड़ी है कि रात्री 12 बजे से 10 दिन के लिए इंटरनेट बन्द किया जा रहा है, इंटरनेट मनोरंजन, शिक्षा का साधन व जनता को घर में रोकने में सहायक है।

अगर इंटरनेट बन्द हुआ तो जनता को घर में बैठाना बहुत मुश्किल हो जाएगा@PMOIndia

— Dr.Sakshi Baijal BJP (@baijal_sakshi) March 25, 2020

There were others also who shared the screenshot of a television news channel broadcasting news about the internet shutdown on WhatsApp. The report is false and the screenshot is also fake. The internet will keep functioning normally.

Claim :

Internet to be shut down in India for 10 days, starting from 12 AM, in the wake of coronavirus.

Conclusion :

There has been no official confirmation made by any government official at any forum. So, the rumour of internet being pulled down by the Government of India is fake, and it has been circulated for fun.

Full of Trash

Clean

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 27, 2020 12:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).