Two photos, purportedly showing a "Kejriwal Aayenge" (Kejriwal will come to power) poster in front of a prison complex, have been shared with sarcastic captions, claiming they show a campaign by the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) outside Delhi's Tihar Jail, ahead of the assembly elections set for February 5.
BOOM found the photos to be altered. The original photographs show no such banner outside the Tihar prison complex.
According to news reports, the AAP launched the "Kejriwal Aayenge" campaign in the lead-up to the Delhi assembly elections on August 22, 2024. At that time, then Delhi Chief Minister and party leader Arvind Kejriwal was lodged in Tihar Jail in connection with a corruption case related to the alleged excise policy scam being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Kejriwal was later granted conditional bail by the Supreme Court and is now focusing on the party's performance in the elections, the results of which are set to be announced on February 8, 2025.
Several internet users posted the photo with a Hindi caption that translates to, "*There is a banner hanging outside Tihar Jail, which says* *Kejriwal will come again...*"
(Original Text in Hindu: *तिहाड़ जेल के बाहर बैनर टँगा हुआ है, ज़िसमें लिखा है* *फिर आयेंगे केजरीवाल...*)
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
Another similar photo was also shared by a verified X handle, Exclusive Minds, which claims to be a 'citizens’ collective fighting against misinformation and misleading content on social media'.
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
Fact Check
BOOM traced the origins of both pictures and found that the banner featuring Kejriwal was digitally added to them.
First Photo
A reverse image search of the photo directed us to an article published by The Hindu on June 20, 2021, featuring the original version of the photograph mentioned as a file picture.
The picture featured in the article shows no sign of the banner in front of Tihar Jail. It is not clear when or who took the photo though.
Second Photo
Using Google Lens, we ran a reverse image search and found the original picture on stock photo website Getty Images. Getty Images states that the photo was taken by photographer Arijit Sen on behalf of The India Today Group on October 4, 2006.
Comparing the original photo with the viral image shared by Exclusive Minds reveals that neither the "Kejriwal Aayenge" poster nor the single pole it is mounted on or the blue sky and clouds appear in the original photo. Additionally, the person on the scooter and the policeman outside the gate have been digitally erased, while the rest of the image remains unchanged in the viral version.
