Misinformation wave deepens anxiety in Hyderabad, triggers panic buying and citywide disruption

From Instagram reels warning of an “energy lockdown” and urging people to stock up on essentials, to WhatsApp forwards dissecting global tensions and predicting work-from-home mandates and travel curbs, a flood of speculative content is shaping public perception in Hyderabad. Even as the city grapples with global uncertainties and supply concerns, a more insidious challenge is rapidly taking hold — an unchecked wave of misinformation is fuelling fear, anxiety, prompting residents to prepare for disruptions that authorities say have not been announced.

In the past few days, rumours of an impending “lockdown” have spread swiftly across social media platforms, prompting residents to rush to grocery stores and fuel stations in a bid to stock up on essentials. The result has been a familiar but troubling pattern: panic-driven demand overwhelming systems that were otherwise functioning normally.