Amethi man booked for tweet seeking oxygen

AMETHI: The police have booked a man here under the Epidemic Act, accusing him of creating fear among the people after he went on Twitter asking for an oxygen cylinder for his 88-year-old relative. “Need oxygen cylinder, ASAP,” Shashank Yadav had tweeted on Monday.
On Tuesday, Union minister and Amethi MP Smriti Irani tweeted in response, “Called Shashank thrice...no response on the number shared by you in your tweet.”


When asked about the matter, superintendent of police Dinesh Singh said, on Wednesday, Yadav had tweeted for a distant relative.
“When he was called, he did not pick up. So we used surveillance and tracked his location and reached his house, where he was found sleeping,” Singh said.
“Shashank’s motive was to create sensation and fear,” he added.
The Amethi Police tweeted on Tuesday, “Neither the patient had Covid-19 infection nor did he require oxygen. He died due to cardiac arrest at 8 pm Monday. Making such tweets are not only condemnable but also an offence.”