A morphed image showing members of the Rashtriya Swayamasevak Sangh (RSS) and Queen Elizabeth II in one frame is viral with false captions claiming that the RSS members were busy saluting the queen when the country was fighting for independence.
BOOM found the viral image has been edited and created by superimposing two different images. Moreover, Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne in February of 1952, almost 5 years after India gained independence.
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The RSS, a Right wing Hindu organisation, was founded in 1925 by KB Hedgewar. Several leaders from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party have been members of the Sangh.
The viral image shows a woman walking in front of a row of men standing at ease. The men are dressed in a uniform that RSS members wear during attending their shakha (branch) activities. A Hindi caption written over the image translates to 'When the whole country was up in arms against the British there were few traitors who were busy saluting the Queen of England. There descendants call themselves patriots now'.
(Hindi: जब पूरा देश अंग्रेजों से लड़ रहा था तब कुछ गद्दार इंग्लैंड की रानी को सलामी दे रहे थे. सुना है इनके वंशज खुद क देशभक्त कहते हैं)
A Hindi caption with the viral post translates to 'traitors will betray'.
(Hindi: गद्दार गद्दारी ही करेंगे)
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The image has been shared with similar false captions from several Facebook pages.
Fact Check
BOOM did a reverse image search and found that the viral image has been created by superimposing two different and unrelated images.
BOOM found the image of RSS volunteers in reports published in articles in Nagpur Today on August 14, 2013 and the Deccan Chronicle on January 22, 2015. The image is present on Wikipedia since April, 2008.
Guard of Honour to Queen Elizabeth II
BOOM did another reverse image search and found that the second image in the viral picture, that of the queen, was taken in Nigeria on February 2, 1956.
We found the same picture on the website of Getty Images. The caption with the picture reads 'Queen Elizabeth II inspects men of the newly-renamed Queen's Own Nigeria Regiment, Royal West African Frontier Force, at Kaduna Airport, Nigeria, during her Commonwealth Tour, 2nd February 1956. (Photo by Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)'.
The same image can be seen in an article published in The Times on April 2018.
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Below is a comparison of the images.