Paruchuri Mallik, whose views on the coronavirus pandemic have been sought-after by the perenially ill-informed Telugu media, has now been booked under Section 54 of Disaster Management Act and 505 (B) of the Indian Penal Code for spreading panic. Following a police complaint against the chemical engineer, the Sultan Bazar Inspector said that Mallik had said on TV5 that the third wave will result in a humongous amount of deaths. This particular video clip has gone viral on WhatsApp in the Telugu States.

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The complaint was lodged by the Telangana Director of Public Health Dr GS Rao against the Hyderabad-based chemical engineer. The official said that Mallik has got no grounding in medicine and epidemiology.

The complaint is timely and is an excellent move against the charlatan, who has explicitly remarked that vaccines will not save lives. This is unpardonable anti-science balderdash. Mallik has also made some implausible remarks about the treatment for covid-19, resorting to sensationalist rhetoric against doctors.

If anything, those providing a platform for semi-literates like Mallik should be warned by the government. Vaccine hesitancy is something we just can't afford.