An image of a young child joining her hands as a gesture of respect to a photo of Colonel Santosh Babu, who was killed in action during the recent India-China border clash in Ladakh, has gone viral with a false claim that the girl is the slain colonel's daughter.
Col. Santosh Babu was the Commanding Officer of 16 Bihar Regiment. A face-off between the Indian and Chinese troops in Galwan valley, Eastern Ladakh cost 20 soldiers their lives.
According to a report in IANS, he had been serving on the India-China border for the last one-and-half year, and his family was looking forward to his transfer to his hometown in Hyderabad. The transfer was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He is survived by his wife Santoshi, his daughter, who is reported to be about 8-9 years of age, his 4-year-old son, and his parents. His mortal remains were brought to Hyderabad on Wednesday night and received by senior government officials and military personnel at Hakimpet Airport Station.
The viral image which surfaced online on June 17, has a young girl paying her respects to the colonel's photo.
Also Read: 20 Indian Soldiers Killed In India-China Clash In Galwan Valley
The image has been shared numerous times with captions that state the girl is his daughter.
It was shared by Amar Prasad Reddy, the Media Advisor to Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare and President of National Youth Council of India. The archive of the tweet is available here.
Many users were sharing the image on Facebook with a similar caption. An archive of the post is available here.
There were many news reports with the same photo that claimed the girl is the late colonel's daughter.
Femina put out an article with the same claim. An archive of the article is available here.
The News Now, an online publication, also put out a similar post on Facebook. An archive of the post is available here.
India.com also put out an article which implied that the girl in the picture is Colonel Santoosh's daughter. An archive of the article is available here.
Deccan Chronicle also put out a similar article claiming the girl in the image is his daughter. An archive of the article can be found here.
Fact Check
BOOM ran a search using multiple keywords on Twitter, and found that ABVP had tweeted a clarification about the image with the caption. An archive of the tweet is available here.
"We noticed some personalities & prominent handles have mistakenly, without any ill-will reported the girl to be daughter of martyr Col Santhosh Babu. We understand their sentiments, but deem it necessary to clarify that the girl is younger sister of an @ABVPKarnataka karyakarta," ABVP Voice said.
A look at the original image, released June 17 in the afternoon at 2:47pm, has the same caption. An archive of the tweet is available here.
A look through an IANS report published about Colonel Santosh's family states that his daughter is reported to be 9-years-old. A comparison with the girl in the viral image makes it clear that the girl is younger. Furthermore, BOOM cross-checked with a reporter who covered the story and confirmed that the girl in the image is not his daughter.
Another viral image circulating online of Col Santosh with his wife and children confirms that the girl in the image is much younger and not his daughter. BOOM could verify with a reporter who had used the image that this is indeed an image of Colonel Santosh taken with his wife and two children.