A bizarre rumour broke out in Karnataka, where many married women started breaking red coral beads from their mangalsutras. The reason- if they did not destroy those beads then their husbands would die. As the rumour spread in the northern Karnataka districts of Ballari, Koppal, Davanagere, Chitradurga and Raichur thousands of women broke red beads from their mangalsutras.
The destroying of beads only stopped when a television channel called it a fake news. However, this is not the first time, when people have fallen prey to those superstitious rumours. In past some years, a rumour breaks out creating a panic and everybody starts following it until it is clarified that the news is fake.
This latest incident of breaking the red beads of the mangalsutras show how these rumours drive people, who are not educated but have access to cell phones, to do such bizarre acts. Leela Mallikarjun, who is a resident of Karatagi village in Koppal district said that the spreading of rumours is nothing new in these areas.
Mallikarjun said, “I got a call from a woman in my village around 3.30 am on Wednesday. She asked me to destroy red beads in my Mangalasutra, warning that my husband could die if I did not do it”.
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She told that a few days ago one rumour was doing the rounds as per which if married women begged for a one rupee coin from five houses then give that money to the temple then all their problems would be solved.
After the news of destroying red beads reached to the state Women and Children Welfare Department, it has instructed the officials to take measures in order to stop spreading of rumours in the northern districts.
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