Poonam Pandey has been getting a lot of backlash for faking her death, in a bid to spread awareness for cervical cancer. The actress and social media sensation had taken the country by storm, a couple of days ago, when her team announced her death. Amid this, Schbang, the company behind Poonam Panday’s gimmick has issued a public apology, however claiming that the stunt resulted in a surge in dialogue around cervical cancer.
The official handle of Schbang shared the apology post on LinkedIn. It read, “Yes, we were involved in the initiative for Poonam Pandey to spread awareness about Cervical Cancer in collaboration with Hauterfly. To start off, we would like to extend a heartfelt apology – especially towards those who have been triggered as a result of having faced/ having a loved one face the hardships of any kind of Cancer."
The post indicated that the controversial move was in lieu of the mission to spread awareness about Cervical cancer, “Our actions were driven by a singular mission – to elevate awareness about Cervical Cancer. In 2022, India registered 123,907 Cervical Cancer cases and 77,348 deaths. After Breast Cancer, Cervical Cancer is the second-most frequent malignancy affecting middle aged women in India," the post read further.
The company also shared that Poonam Pandey’s mother had battled cancer and hence, she knows the emphasis of this disease. The apology post stated, “Many of you may be unaware but Poonam’s own mother has bravely battled Cancer. Having been through the challenges of battling a disease like this at such close personal quarters, she understands the importance of prevention and the criticality of awareness, especially when a vaccine is available. There was no change in people’s curiosity regarding Cervical Cancer when our Honourable Finance Minister mentioned it no less than a few days ago during the Union Budget. This act by Poonam has now resulted in making ‘Cervical Cancer’ and its related terms the most searched topic(s) on Google. This is the first time in the history of this country that the word ‘Cervical Cancer’ has been on 1000+ Headlines."
“Nevertheless we are deeply apologetic to those who may have been hurt due to this initiative. We understand that our methods may have sparked debate about the approach. While we regret any distress caused, if the move results in spreading much needed awareness and preventing deaths, that would be its real impact.
We want to clarify that this is a pro-bono activity and not commercially linked to any client. This is a Cancer for which 93% of cases are preventable according to the USCDC via a vaccine and everything we do is in service of this being prevented. We hope that the start of this conversation serves as a catalyst for raising life saving awareness about not only Cervical Cancer, but all preventable diseases," concluded the apology statment.
For the unversed, Poonam Pandey’s ‘death’ news was announced in a post shared on her official Instagram handle on Friday, February 2. “This morning is a tough one for us. Deeply saddened to inform you that we have lost our beloved Poonam to cervical cancer. Every living form that ever came in contact with her was met with pure love and kindness. In this time of grief, we would request for privacy while we remember her fondly for all that we shared," the post read.
However, on Saturday afternoon, the actress came out in a video statement and revealed that she is alive. She argued that the motive of her death news was to create awareness regarding cervical cancer. It did not go down well with everyone and several celebrities including Kangana Ranaut and Karan Kundrra among others lashed out at the actress.
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