Poonam Pandey, 32, faked her death to raise awareness of cervical cancer. She was followed by 1.3 million people on social networks.
Internet users castigated the young woman for wanting to draw attention to herself at all costs. India accounts for almost a quarter of the world's cervical cancer cases, according to the World Health Organization.. NGOs are campaigning for a national vaccination campaign against human papillomavirus (HPV) infections for young girls, which in other countries has significantly reduced the incidence.