New Delhi: Poonam Pandey has been facing a lot of backlash ever since the news of her death turned out to be fake. The publicity stunt did not go down well with her industry folks as well as netizens, who criticised the model-actor for going too far for raising awareness around cervical cancer. Now, the digital agency behind the cancer awareness stunt has issued an apology on social media through a statement.
The statement reads as, "Yes we were involved in the intitative 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. 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."
"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 disrtress caused, if the move results in spreading much needed awareness and preventing deaths, that would be it's real impact. We want to clarify that this is a pro-bono activity and not commercially linked to any client," the statement further read.
The manager of Poonam Pandey declared her death on February 2 due to cervical cancer. On Poonam Pandey's official Instagram profile, a statement was also posted. But in a video statement that she sent to social media on Saturday, Poonam declared that she is still alive.