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‘Didn’t say that’: Vijay Sethupathi slams fake news attributed to him on ‘Bhagavad Gita’

Fake news and fake forwards are the order of the day when it comes to social media and the latest victim is Tamil actor Vijay Sethupathi. Soon after fake news messages concerning him, using the template of a prominent media house in Tamil Nadu began doing the rounds, the actor has clarified that he never, in fact, said what has been attributed to him.

Taking to Twitter on Monday evening, the actor wrote, “To my beloved people: not just the Bhagavad Gita, I have never spoken ill of any holy book and never will. Few anti-social elements have spread this slanderous message. Under no circumstance will I behave in a way that undermines the trust and unity of my people.”

The actor also posted a side-by-side screenshot of his real quote and the fake one using the template of Tamil news channel News7  in order to distinguish between the two.

என் அன்பிற்குரிய மக்களுக்கு
பகவத்கீதை மட்டுமல்ல எந்த ஒரு புனிதநூலை பற்றியும் எப்பொழுதும் நான் அவதூறாக பேசியதும் இல்லை
பேசவும் மாட்டேன்
சில சமூகவிரோதிகள் பரப்பிய அவதூறான செய்தி இது
எந்த சூழ்நிலையிலும் என் மக்களின் நம்பிக்கையும் ஒற்றுமையும் குலைக்குமாறு நான் நடந்து கொள்ளவே மாட்டேன் pic.twitter.com/40nkrbVfR5

— VijaySethupathi (@VijaySethuOffl) February 11, 2019

Vijay Sethupathi recently joined hands with the Chennai police to launch the Digi Cop app to verify the authenticity of second-hand mobile phones. Stolen mobile phones often flood the second-hand sale market, making them untraceable. The actor’s original remarks were from an event where he had launched the app along with Chennai City Police Commissioner AK Viswanathan. He had said, “There is a fear among the people because of incidents of mobile phone snatching. The Digi Cop app will bridge the distance between the police department and the people.”

The fake news message falsely attributed to the actor quoted him as saying that the Bhagavad Gita, the holy book of the Hindus, was not a holy book.

News7 too has frequently been the victim of miscreants misusing their social media news templates. The news channel also tweeted on Monday, requesting its followers not to fall for news which was peddled from non-official handles.

நியூஸ்7 தமிழின் அதிகாரப்பூர்வ பக்கத்தைத் தவிர்த்து வேறு பக்கங்களில் வரும் செய்திகளை நம்ப வேண்டாம்!https://t.co/5wMBD3FLqB | @news7tamil | #Official | @VijaySethuOffl | #FakeNews pic.twitter.com/9JcjTVubuE

— News7 Tamil (@news7tamil) February 11, 2019

Recently, the channel also clarified to the Tamil Nadu handle of the Bharatiya Janata Party that it had not tweeted a news card about DMK President and Leader of Opposition, MK Stalin. The fake news template, tweeted by the BJP, had quoted Stalin as saying that he would build a port in the land-locked district of Tirupur if the DMK came to power.

Earlier in February, Vijay Sethupathi’s Facebook page came under attack after he supported Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the Sabarimala row.

Source: The News Minute