Fake alert: Pregnant Kerala elephant didn't die in Muslim area and Rahul Gandhi is not an MP there

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has said that disinformation is being circulated. The pregnant elephant did not die in the Muslim-majority Malappuram district and Rahul Gandhi is not MP from the region.

Days before the world environment day, a pregnant elephant died in Kerala after she was allegedly fed a pineapple filled with firecrackers. The incident created a lot of buzz in social media with many condemning it. The BJP leader Maneka Gandhi, who is also an animal rights activist, claimed that the incident happened in Malappuram and she went on to call the district the "most violent district" in the country.

Maneka Sanjay Gandhi took her Twitter account on June 3 to condemn the incident. The BJP leader tweeted, "Mallapuram is known for its intense criminal activity specially with regards to animals. No action has ever been taken against a single poacher or wildlife killer so they keep doing it. I can only suggest that you call/email and ask for action."

Maneka Sanjay Gandhi stirred up a new controversy with many claiming that this cruel incident happened in the Muslim-majority Malappuram district. Some right-wing activists even went on to claim that it happened in Rahul Gandhi's Lok Sabha constituency. A lot was being debated about these claims with people of right and left wings getting into a war of words on social media.

Shashi Tharoor, who is an MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, took to clear the air surrounding it. The Congress leader tweeted, "The death of the pregnant elephant moved me terribly, but the disinformation being circulated around it by motivated people needs to be spiked immediately. The incident did not happen in Muslim-majority Malappuram district but in Palakkad. @RahulGandhi is not MP from there."

Meanwhile, Ramesh Chennithala, the Kerala Opposition Leader, wrote a letter to BJP leader Maneka Gandhi on Thursday, demanding an apology for her statement against Malappuram district. In his letter, the Congress leader stated that her statement against the district is unacceptable, as it is aimed at a particular community. She should offer an apology for making false claims.

"Your statement has given a space for the airing of hate speeches, abusing a district and all of its people. Social media is now full of hate speeches against a particular community. I request you to withdraw your statement portraying this district as a centre of crime and to apologize for making such a false statement," The News Minute quoted a statement from Ramesh Chennithala's letter.