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
Photo shows Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray bowing down before Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
The archived version of the post can be seen here.
Fact
Newschecker noticed a difference in clarity across the image, suggesting that it was two photos edited together.
We then ran a keyword search for “Uddhav Thackeray Rahul Gandhi meeting”, which led us to this photo on the official website of the Indian National Congress, when the two leaders met on August 7, 2024.
Newschecker learnt that Thackeray, accompanied by his son Aaditya Thackeray and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut, met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and All India Congress Committee general secretary KC Venugopal at Kharge’s official residence, amid reports that Thackeray and Pawar will join Gandhi as the Congress is set to launch its campaign for the Maharashtra assembly polls in Mumbai on Tuesday, August 20.
We did not find any photos of Thackeray bowing before Gandhi, while the comparison of the viral image (right) with the AICC photo (left), considering Thackeray’s attire and Gandhi’s stance, indicates that the photo was digitally manipulated.
Newschecker then did a reverse image search after isolating Thackery from the viral image, which led us to multiple reports, here, here and here, sharing a photo of the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief when he visited Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal, at the latter’s residence in the national capital earlier this month. According to the reports, the photo shows Thackeray meeting Arvind Kejriwal’s parents, Gita Devi and Gobind Ram Kejriwal.
A comparison with the photo from Thackeray’s visit to the Kejriwal residence (left) confirms that the viral image (right) was a composite of two unrelated photos.
Also Read: Here’s The Truth Behind Viral Video That Claims To Show A Bird Unfurling The National Flag
Result: Altered Image
Sources
Indian National Congress website
Rediff article, August 09, 2024
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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.
