Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday said he is "totally healthy" and not suffering from any ailment, dispelling rumours about his health on the social media.
In a signed statement, the home minister said in the last couple of days rumours have been spread by "some friends" about his health and that "some people even wished death for me" through tweets.
"I am totally healthy and I am not suffering from any disease," he said in the statement in Hindi which was posted on his Twitter handle.
Shah said the country is currently battling the novel coronavirus pandemic and as the home minister of the country, he has been busy in his work till late in the night and hence he could not notice such rumours earlier.
"When I came to know about it, I thought let these rumour- mongers be happy in such unrealistic thoughts and hence I did not give any clarification," he said.
But in the past two days, Shah said, lakhs of BJP workers and his well-wishers have expressed their concerns and he could not overlook their worry.
"That is why I want to make it clear today that I am totally healthy and I am not suffering from any disease," he said.
Shah said that according to Hindu beliefs, such rumours make a person healthier and that he would expect these rumour-mongers to mind their own work leaving aside all these and let him devote his time in his work.
"I express my gratitude to all party workers and well-wishers for expressing concern and inquiring about my health. I thank those who have spread the rumours and want to say that I have no ill-feeling for them," he added.
Bharatiya Jnataa Party president J P Nadda said that making "inhuman" comments about the health of Shah is "extremely condemnable".
"Making inhuman comments about the health of Home Minister Amit Shah is extremely condemnable. Spreading such misleading remarks about anyone's health shows the mindset of people doing so. I strongly condemn it and pray to God to grant them good sense," Nadda said in a tweet.
Meanwhile, four persons were detained by Ahmedabad police on Saturday for allegedly spreading misinformation about Shah's health by creating a fake Twitter account in his name.
The local crime branch detained four persons for spreading misinformation about Shah's health, special commissioner of police (crime) Ajay Tomar said.
A screenshot of a fake Twitter account in Shah's name with his photo, claiming that he was suffering from a serious ailment, had gone viral on social media platforms, Tomar said.
The suspects were detained from Ahmedabad and Bhavnagar and they were being questioned, he said.
A case has been registered in this regard under sections 66(c) (punishment for identity theft) and 66(d) (cheating by personation using computer resource) of the Information Technology Act, the official said.
