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
BJP West Bengal tweets out a poster hailing PM Narendra Modi for his contribution towards developing India’s Metro rail network, using a photo of an elevated Metro line.
The archived version of the tweet can be seen here.
Fact
Newschecker noticed that multiple users in the comments had pointed out that the photo used in the poster was not of an existing train or rail line in the country, but from Singapore.
We then ran a reverse image search of the image, which led us to this Singapore-based The Straits Times article, dated February 13, 2020, sharing a similar, but zoomed-in photo of the train with the caption reading, “Commuters were told to add about 20 minutes to their train journeys between Choa Chu Kang MRT and Jurong East MRT stations.”
A further relevant keyword search led us to this Wikimedia Commons picture with the headline reading, “NS1 EW24 Jurong East MRT”. A similar photo used in a Yahoo Finance article, dated March 7, 2024, can be seen here, calling it the Jurong Line.
A comparison of both the images confirms it to be the same. We learnt that the Jurong East MRT station is an elevated major interchange station in Jurong East, Singapore, operated by Singapore’s rail operator, SMRT Trains Limited.
Also Read: Viral Video Of Man Thrashing Infant Is From Turkey, Not Hyderabad
Result: False
Sources
The Straits Times article, February 13, 2020
Yahoo Finance report, March 7, 2024
If you would like us to fact-check a claim, give feedback or lodge a complaint, WhatsApp us at 9999499044 or email us at checkthis@newschecker.in. You can also visit the Contact Us page and fill out the form. Follow our WhatsApp channel for more updates
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.
