Mumbai: Man dies online, lives to tell the tale

MUMBAI: A 43-year-old Dahisar resident, away on an outing with his family, was in for a rude shock when phone calls offering condolences for his death started pouring in on Sunday. Ravindra Dusange, a media person, was told by his friends that a message was being circulated on WhatsApp about his death. Dusange initially did not pay much heed. But when phone calls and texts continued to pour in days later, he went to the police.
“The past three days have been horrible. I’m tired of explaining to people that I'm alive and well. I've heard that the WhatsApp message about my death is still in circulation,” Dusange told TOI.
IPS officer-turned lawyer YP Singh said such crimes could earlier be prosecuted under section 66a, IT Act, which has been struck down by the Supreme Court; now, such a matter falls under defamation under sections 499 and 500 of the IPC, making it a non-cognizable offence where an FIR can’t be filed.
On Sunday, Dusange had taken his wife and two children to Malad to his in-laws' place. “There is no phone signal at my in-laws’ place. While leaving from Malad at 5.30pm, I noticed a couple of missed calls from a friend,” said Dusange. “When I finally answered the calls, my friend sounded relieved. He told me a message about me had gone viral on WhatsApp and I should check it. Later, my brother forwarded it to me. Someone had taken my photo off Facebook, posted a condolence message and circulated it on WhatsApp. I was horrified,” Dusange said.
Within a couple of days, he received 400 condolences calls meant for his family. “It’s sheer harassment. What if my aged mother learnt of this viral message? She would have been in shock,” he said.
Dusange told the police that he suspected an acquaintance to have prepared the viral message. “I've been told this man circulated the message on multiple WhatsApp groups. I called him to inquire about it but he hung up. The police should question him but they aren't taking me seriously,” he said.
The Dahisar police have accepted a written complaint from Dusange.