Thursday night saw people from six districts pouring out of their houses. There was anxiety and panic as SMSes flew thick and fast, phones kept ringing nonstop — informing people about sudden deaths in sleep and warning them not to sleep.
If Pune citizens spent a sleepless night on Wednesday, it was the turn of the people from Bidar, Gulbarga, Dharwad, Raichur, Koppal and Haveri districts on Thursday night.
Rumours were aplenty — planetary effect, a mysterious illness and earthquake causing deaths. All these were triggered off by SMSes forwarded from Hyderabad and Pune.
The rumours started around 1.30 am, prompting people to rush out of their houses and spend the night under the sky till 4 am. In Hubli, false reports that five children died in Hyderabad due to the lunar eclipse effect made parents wake their children up and bring them out. Another rumour that made many panic was parents with two children were more susceptible. Some parents shook their children awake by sprinkling water on them. The district was abuzz that only children below 12 were dying in sleep.
In Haveri, men on motorcycles went around the town banging on doors and giving the wake-up call. It was the earthquake rumour that shook Gulbarga and Bidar districts.
People spent the night strolling around. Some mothers even converted the road into a kitchen to prepare sweets as an enticement for their sleepy children while some much-awake children played cricket on the roads.