Corona cases are rising in Telangana. On Wednesday alone, the state registered 887 cases which created fear among people and authorities. In this context, a fake Telangana Government Order claiming partial lockdown went viral on social media on Thursday. Denying that, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar subsequently issued an official statement.

‘It has come to the notice of the government that an unsigned document claiming to be a GO issued on 1^st April 2021 providing for closure of shops and commercial establishments etc., is circulating on social media. It is hereby clarified that the above-said document is fake. No such order has been issued by the Government of Telangana, he said.

Konatham Dileep, States’s Digital media director said that some miscreants have created a fake government order about a partial lockdown, and urged people not to forward or share this. Action will be initiated on anyone who spreads such rumours, he said in a tweet.

The fake GO, issued in the name of Somesh Kumar sans his signature, states that all shops and commercial establishments including play zones will remain closed between 6 PM to 8 AM till April 30. After the ‘GO’ sent people into a tizzy, the government immediately issued a statement clarifying that no such order was issued.