Social media posts showing Communist Party Of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) leaders Sitaram Yechury and Brinda Karat holding placards with anti-Indian Army slogans are edited.
BOOM found that the photos are from a protest organised by the CPI(M) on June 16 against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government's anti-India policies.
Also read No, These Images Do Not Show A CPI(M) Protest Against The Indian Army
The placards held by Yechury and Karat have been morphed and text reading "Indian army down...down, we support to China...zindabad" has been mischievously placed on them. BOOM found that the original placard, which Yechury is holding, had the text, "Immediately pay Rs 7500 for three months to all outside the income tax bracket" written on it. Karat was holding a placard with the text "provide free 10kgs foodgrains per month for six months to all needy individuals".
Also read: No, Photo Does Not Show Indian Soldier Injured In India-China Clash
The edited photographs are viral with a fake claim in Hindi which translates to: "Identify these disloyal leftist traitors. One is Brinda Karat and the other one is Sitaram Yechury. These hypocrite leftists had stood by China even in 1962 and these shameless people putting down Indian army"
(Original claim in Hindi: पहचानो इन देशद्रोही झामपंथी गद्दारों को एक वृंदा_करात है और दूसरा सीताराम_येचुरी इन दोगले झामपंथियों ने 1962 में भी इसी तरह #चीन का साथ दिया था। और आज भी ये निर्लज्ज भारतीय #सेना को नीचा दिखा रहे हैं।)
The images are viral amid the rising tension between the India and China. There was a major escalation of border tensions between the Indian and Chinese troops at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Galwan Valley region of eastern Ladakh on the night of June 15. Twenty Indian soldiers have lost their lives in the brutal clash while the casualty on the Chinese side is not yet in the public domain. Read here.
The posts can be seen below and its archived version can be accessed here and here.
पहचानो इन देशद्रोही झामपंथी गद्दारों को एक वृंदा_करात है और दूसरा सीताराम_येचुरी इन दोगले झामपंथियों ने 1962 में भी इसी तरह #चीन का साथ दिया था।
— Brand Atul ♛ (@Brand_AtulOM) June 20, 2020
और आज भी ये निर्लज्ज भारतीय #सेना को नीचा दिखा रहे हैं। pic.twitter.com/vctddf75Qk
Fact Check
BOOM had earlier debunked a similar fake narrative viral with the photographs of Yechury and Karat. However, the viral images were not doctored.
The official Twitter handle of the CPI(M) had posted the original images that have been morphed and made viral. The rally was against several government policies that, according to the party, are not in favour of the labourers and the poor. It was not against the Indian Army, as claimed by the viral posts.
The original images were tweeted by the CPI (M)'s verified handle with the text "All India Protest against Modi govt's anti-people policies. #PeopleProtestModiGovt"
All India Protest against Modi govt's anti-people policies.#PeopleProtestModiGovt pic.twitter.com/oJRUqXHsN5
— CPI (M) (@cpimspeak) June 16, 2020
The pan India protest had commenced on June 15. Verified Facebook page of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) ran a Facebook live during the protest. "All India Protest against Modi govt's anti-people policies. Gen. Sec. Com Sitaram Yechury along with other comrades protesting against Modi govt's devastating policies at AKG Bhawan, New Delhi," the caption read.
Additionally, below is a comparison of the edited and original photographs from the event.
The difference is clearly visible.