Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Slums are covered with sheets ahead of the G20 Summit to be held from September 9 to September 10 in New Delhi.
Fact
Photo was taken in Mumbai amid a G20 event in December 2022.
Several social media users are circulating a photo, claiming that slums are being covered with sheets and banners ahead of the G20 Summit to be held between September 9-10, 2023, in New Delhi. “Had [Prime Minister] Modi focused on the welfare of ordinary Indians instead of exclusively catering to his rich friends for nine years, he might not have to use curtains and posters to hide poverty now,” read one such post, featuring the photo.
The archived versions of the tweets can be seen here and here.
Also Read: Viral Quote Of Sunil Gavaskar Criticising BCCI Is Fabricated
The G20 Summit
Leaders from the Group of 20 (G20) major economies will take part in the annual summit in India’s capital on Saturday to try to find solutions to some of the world’s pressing problems amid a deep geopolitical divide over the war in Ukraine that threatens any progress.
Fact Check
Newschecker first noticed that a banner in the viral image read, “Mumbai welcomes G20 delegates”, raising our doubts.
We then ran a reverse image search of keyframes of the picture, which led us to this Deccan Herald article, dated June 7, 2023. “Green curtains put up outside Jogeshwari slums along the Western Express Highway as the city is hosting several G20 meetings in Mumbai,” read the caption of the photo, which was credited to PTI, indicating that it was not a recent photo taken in New Delhi.
A further search led us to this Gujarati Midday article, dated December 16, 2022, stating that a slum adjacent to the highway at Jogeshwari on the Western Express Highway has been covered with green cloth as its delegation will visit the National Park in Borivali after a three-day meeting of the G20 Development Working Group in Mumbai.
A similar photo was featured in an HT article, where the caption read, “Green curtains put up to conceal the view of Jogeshwari slums on Western Express Highway, in wake of the ongoing G20 Summit under Indian presidency, in Mumbai on December 15, 2022”, indicating that the photo was taken in December 2022.
A relevant keyword search led us to multiple news reports, dated December 15, 2022, stating, “The city [Mumbai] is hosting a meeting of G20 countries and giant sheets have been strung up on bamboo poles, sometimes with billboards of the event, in many places of the city.” The reports can be seen here, here and here.
“Mumbai is hosting the first meeting of the Development Working Group (DWG) under India’s G20 presidency. Only days before their arrival, Mumbai’s civic body turned things around for the city, including using white curtains, green netting, and boards with advertisements of the summit. The changes were made overnight and when the city woke up to half of it hidden, many took to social media and called out the authorities for trying to hide their own incompetence,” read a Mashable India report, dated December 15, 2022.
We also came across this PIB Fact Check tweet, dated September 5, 2023, confirming that the viral image is an old photo from Mumbai and not Delhi.
Conclusion
Photo of Mumbai slums draped in sheets amid G20 event in December 2022 shared out of context ahead of G20 Summit in New Delhi.
Result: Missing Context
Sources
Gujarati Mid-day report, December 16, 2022
Tweet, PIB Fact Check, September 5, 2023
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Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
