By Express News Service HYDERABAD: Fake or genuine? This is the immediate question being asked by social media users nowadays after reading any post. Innumerable fake messages are being circulated in the social media about opening of liquor shops, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chanting Katyayani Mantra as a cure for Coronavirus and so on. Take this fake news sample: “Liquor shops will be reopened from Sunday across the State from 2 pm to 5.30 pm. Five constables will be deployed at each wine shop for maintaining social distancing”. The so-called “order” by the Excise Department with a State government logo made the rounds on social media on Saturday. However, the State government digital media advisor Konatham Dileep posted in the Facebook stating that the “Excise order” was a fake one. Later, Excise officials lodged a complaint with the Central Crime State (CCS) police. “All A4 retail shops of liquor shall remain closed in the State. A case has been lodged against mischievous persons for circulating such false and incorrect information,” an official release stated later in the day. On Saturday, the people are started circulating messages that Prime Minister Modi was reciting Katyayani Mantra for the cure of Coronavirus. But, the mantra in fact was chanted by a singer not by the Prime Minister. Similarly, on Friday another message, a conversation between two persons was in circulation. The message created panic among the public, as the “doctor of a reputed hospital” and a “senior journalist” discussed that several people in Telangana may be afflicted by Coronavirus soon. However, the hospital management lodged a complaint that none of their doctors had spoken with the journalist. Several such fake messages, including the voice of JD Lakshminarayana, one about a doctor finding a cure for Coronavirus, the death of doctor couple and others created panic this week. Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy tweeted on Saturday: “There has been a lot of fake news being spread on social media platforms on how we can fight #COVID19. To break all those myths, @mygovindia has prepared a factsheet.”

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