Pooja Bhatt deletes tweet about Poonam Pandey after fake death stunt, explains why

Poonam Pandey faked her death and announced on Saturday that she did so for cancer awareness. Like many celebs, Pooja Bhatt isn’t impressed by her gimmick.

Pooja Bhatt has reacted to the fake news of Poonam Pandey’s death by deleting her earlier tweet about the model-actor, who is under fire for faking her own death to allegedly raise awareness about cervical cancer. Pooja had previously extended her condolences in a now-deleted tweet. In a new tweet, the Bigg Boss OTT 2 contestant called the entire stint ‘disgrace.’

Pooja Bhatt on deleting Poonam Pandey tweet

Pooja explained why she chose to delete her tweet about Poonam Pandey and wrote, “I never delete tweets but did so in the case where I expressed my shock at news of Poonam Pandey’s demise due to cervical cancer. Why? Turns out the news was engineered by a digital/PR team. Absolute disgrace & disservice to those battling the same-her included.”

I never delete tweets but did so in the case where I expressed my shock at news of Poonam Pandey’s demise due to cervical cancer. Why? Turns out the news was engineered by a digital/PR team. Absolute disgrace & disservice to those battling the same-her included. 🙏

— Pooja Bhatt (@PoojaB1972) February 3, 2024

Timeline of Poonam Pandey controversy

It all began when Poonam’s team posted on her official Instagram handle on Friday, “This morning is a tough one for us. Deeply saddened to inform you that we have lost our beloved Poonam to cervical cancer. Every living form that ever came in contact with her was met with pure love and kindness. In this time of grief, we would request for privacy while we remember her fondly for all that we shared.” Her media manager Parul Chawla also confirmed the news of the actor’s demise, as per news agency ANI.

What Pooja Bhatt said?

Pooja had then tweeted on Friday, “So tragic to hear about Poonam Pandey. I had never met her, but when life claims someone so young it is always devastating. My prayers and deepest condolences to her family, friends and everyone whose life she impacted.”

Poonam is back and alive

On Saturday, Poonam, via a video, shared that she is very much alive. In the video, she said, “I feel compelled to share something significant with you all – I am here, alive.”

“Cervical cancer didn’t claim me, but tragically, it has claimed the lives of thousands of women who stemmed from a lack of knowledge on how to tackle this disease… Together, let’s strive to put an end to the devastating impact of the disease and bring,” she added and revealed her publicity stunt.

Poonam said ‘I am sorry’

The news of her fake death left everyone on the internet fuming. In a follow-up video, Poonam apologised for the death stunt and said she wanted to spread awareness about the disease. “I am sorry I caused this tear and I am sorry to those I have hurt. My intention: to shock everyone into the conversation that we are not talking enough about cervical cancer,” she said.

She also said that the news of her supposed death served a “greater purpose.” “While I do understand how you would have perceived this in bad taste, I also implore you to consider the greater cause. Before passing judgement on the act, I urge you to recognise the alarming concern burdening women worldwide. The sheer lack of awareness surrounding this issue was the mere reason that compelled me to take this unconventional step,” she said.

The news of her fake death due to cervical cancer, arrived a day after Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the government’s plans to focus on vaccination against cervical cancer for girls aged 9 to 14 as part of her interim Budget 2024.

Linking the same, Poonam also added, “Just the day before, the Union Budget highlighted the cause as well but I can say with certainty that only a small fraction would’ve registered it. It’s intriguing how such vital information was at the forefront yet failed to capture the press attention until the narrative took a dramatic turn with the news of my death to Cervical cancer.” The incident has sparked a memefest on the internet while many called for boycott calls against her.