At least two district collectors in Kerala have warned of legal action against those spreading fake news about the holiday for schools in the view of heavy rain.
The collectors of Kozhikode and Palakkad have informed the public to look for updates on their official social media handles and not trust WhatsApp forwards.
Even though a holiday has been declared (on Tuesday) for educational institutions in Kozhikode, fake news regarding the same was in circulation about two hours before an official announcement.
A poster bearing the logo of the Kozhikode district administration declaring a holiday for schools on Tuesday was widely shared from about 6 pm.
The District Information Officer alerted Collector A Geetha about the fake content prompting an official response.
"The holiday was declared at 7.45 pm after an emergency meeting of the disaster management authority to take stock of the situation...strict action will be taken on those spreading fake news and posters," Collector A Geetha said in a Facebook post.
'No holiday in Palakkad'
Meanwhile, Dr S Chithra, District Collector of Palakkad has issued a Facebook post to refute the fake news regarding a holiday.
"There is no holiday in Palakkad district on July 25. The WhatsApp forward that is circulating is fake. Those spreading fake news in the name of the district collector will face legal action," said Collector Chithra.
She said as there is only a yellow alert in the district for Tuesday, it was only appropriate to keep educational institutions open.
"Holiday updates will be shared on the official social media pages. Please do not trust the WhatsApp forwards."
