The Indian government has rejected circulated information on various social media platforms which claim that the second Covid-19 wave was caused by "the testing of 5G mobile towers".

"It has come to the notice of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT),  Ministry of Communications, that several misleading messages are being circulated on various social media platforms claiming that the second wave of coronavirus has been caused by the testing of the 5G mobile towers," an official statement released on Monday said.

"These messages are false and not correct. The general public is hereby informed that there is no link between 5G technology and the spread of Covid-19, and they are urged not to be misguided by the false information and rumours spread in this matter," the statement also said, our New Delhi correspondent reports.

"The claims linking the 5G technology with the COVID-19 pandemic have no scientific basis. Moreover, it is informed that the testing of the 5G network has not yet started anywhere in India. Hence, the claim that 5G trials or networks are causing coronavirus in India is baseless and false," it added.