Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu has unleashed a social media storm with his comments questioning the administration of the HPV vaccine to young girls. Among the many critics, author and investor Devina Mehra is one of the latest to call him out, saying he has “zero medical knowledge”. She also urged him to stop his “nonsensical propaganda”.
‘Don’t need this nonsensical propaganda’
Quoting his three-point fact post on HPV, which many said has “partial facts” to fit his narrative, Mehra said on X (formerly Twitter), “According to this man, a few girls fainting is a worse outcome than 75000+ Indian women dying every year from cervical cancer,” stressing that the death rate from cervical cancer is higher in rural India.
“The last thing we need is this kind of nonsensical propaganda from people who have zero medical knowledge,” she added.
Mehra also said that techies are not experts on everything and that this “anti-vaccine tirade” has an “ulterior motive”.
“Remember that tech bros are not experts on everything from history to medical science,” she wrote, adding that this “everyday anti-vaccine tirade appears to be motivated by some ulterior motive”.
According to this man, a few girls fainting is a worse outcome than 75000+ Indian women dying every year from cervical cancer. And the deaths are more in rural India.
— Devina Mehra (@devinamehra) November 1, 2025
The last thing we need is this kind of nonsensical propaganda from people who have zero medical knowledge.… https://t.co/h0nP8aLJV8
Sridhar Vembu’s post and the backlash
It all started when Vembu shared a news report about 30-35 female students in Bihar fainting after being administered the HPV vaccine. He questioned the rationale for administering the vaccine to young girls across India, noting that HPV is transmitted only through sexual contact, and therefore, vaccinating children doesn’t make much sense.
He also urged people they should not politicise the issue, arguing that politicians are not voicing their concerns against the vaccination, given that the tide is in favour of the HPV vaccine.
“I do not blame the politicians because when someone like me can be shouted down so vocally, it would be political suicide for a politician (of any party) to talk about, particularly when the mainstream consensus is so strongly in favour of ever more vaccine shots,” he expressed.
Vembu admitted that people close to him had advised against sharing his opinion, warning that it could harm his business or public image, but said he was willing to take the risk.
“I will state what I believe again: we are giving way too many vaccines to young children. This does NOT mean we should stop ALL vaccines. So let the critics not twist my words,” he went on to say.
He concluded by saying that his voice deserved to be heard, urging people not to let doctors who consider him “science-illiterate” silence his opinion.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the HPV vaccine can be administered as early as age nine, and is recommended for children aged 11 to 12 years. The agency advises that individuals receive two doses before their 15th birthday for maximum effectiveness.