In the aftermath of Cyclone Gaja, the district administration had issued a circular extending the repayment term for agriculture loans by a year. It asked the borrowers to approach their respective banks for further details.

However, a few miscreants began to spread false information about the circular on social media, claiming that the district administration had ordered for a loan waiver. Believing this, people from across the district started to converge in large numbers at the Collectorate with ‘applications’, that were reportedly sold for Rs 100 by a few persons, who decided to take advantage of the situation.

Source said at least 15,000 people gathered at the spot, resulting in the entire road from Pudukkottai bus stand to the Collectorate getting crowded. Vehicular traffic was affected for more than a km in all the directions from the Collectorate. As a result, vehicles headed towards the Collectorate were diverted. While the police personnel had a tough time regulating the crowd, the Collectorate officials faced difficulties in managing the situation.

According to sources, the crowd refused to believe the officials when it was conveyed to them that no such waiver had been announced. So much so, the Revenue officials were forced to collect the applications. Later, the crowd started to disperse.

District Collector S Ganesh later issued a statement, in which he warned against the spreading of such ‘rumours’. He specified that only a loan term extension to those who faced more than 33 per cent crop damage had been announced. “The affected farmers should approach their respective banks and finance companies before March 9, 2019,” Ganesh reiterated.