Rahul Khanna was a busy man on Wednesday. The actor, who is down with flu, spent the day denying rumours about his attempted suicide. Well-wishers and the media went into a tizzy as the city buzzed with ‘news’ of Khanna’s failed suicide bid. Family sources confirmed later in the day that there was no truth to the rumours.
Unfounded ‘news’ about sudden deaths of film stars is not uncommon in a country like ours that lives and breathes Bollywood. First there were rumours about Shah Rukh Khan being killed in a bomb blast in Dubai some years ago followed by news of Aishwarya Rai’s ‘sudden death’ in a car accident earlier this year. Superstar Amitabh Bachchan, who suffered from an intestinal ailment sometime ago, was not spared either.
“This is nothing but the work of an idle mind. What people do not realise is the amount of panic such irresponsible behaviour generates,” said Rai’s business manager Hari Singh, who had to field numerous calls when a website put up a fake report on Rai’s death in a car accident in May this year.
Legal experts in the city feel that rumour-mongers should be prosecuted. “Unfortunately, there is no law to prosecute such people,” said Rajendra Shirodkar, noted criminal lawyer. Special Inspector General of Police, Rakesh Maria told DNA that rumour-mongers can be booked by the police under Section 505 of the Indian Penal Code. “Police can act on their own or on the complaint of the affected person. They can move an application in the court to take action against such people,” Maria explained.
Industry watchers however point out that it’s hard to pin down the source of the rumours. “How many people will be put in jail? And who will decide who started it,” said trade analyst Amod Mehra.
