The Hindu festival of Diwali is approaching. Indians celebrate the festival by decorating houses and bursting firecrackers.
Amid all the excitement, Indians are worried about health as Covid is not gone yet. Meanwhile, another message is going viral that claims the Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a warning
about Chinese firecrackers and decorative lights containing several elements which will cause health problems.
This fake message is widely circulated on social media platforms like Instagram, Whatsapp, Twitter and Facebook, increasing the worries of people.
The message claims since Pakistan can’t attack India directly, it has urged China to take revenge. Thus China has filled firecrackers with special chemicals and gases which will
cause Asthama. The bogus message further claims that decorating lights are also made to cause eye ailments among Indians.
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The viral Whatsapp forward is signed by Vishwajit Mukherjee, claiming to be an MHA official.
The Press Information Bureau of India issued a notice dismissing the fake alerts. The government's fact-checking handle stated that the Home Ministry had not issued such a warning
and asked people not to post such misleading messages.
The PIB fact check is the government's fact-checking arm, responsible for debunking false information about government policies and programmes.