A set of four images showing saffron-coloured buildings with murals of Hindu Gods painted on them is being shared on social media falsely claiming them to be from Ayodhya which is gearing up for foundation laying ceremony of Ram Temple on August 5.
BOOM found that the images doing the rounds on social media are actually from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh and not Ayodhya.
The images are viral in the backdrop of foundation stone laying ceremony of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. According to news reports, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of the temple on August 5. Keeping in view the Coronavirus pandemic, the number of attendees for the ceremony has been limited to 200. Read more about it here.
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The set of pictures has been shared on Facebook with a caption in Hindi which translates to 'Ayodhya is ready for August 5. The whole of Ayodhya has been painted saffron. Jai Shri Ram Jai Shri Ram Jai Shri Ram'.
(Hindi: 5 अगस्त के लिए अयोध्या तैयार, पुरे अयोध्या शहर को भगवा रंगो से सजा दिया!!! बोलो जोर से जय श्री राम जय श्री राम )
View the post below and check its archived version here.
The post has been shared from several Facebook pages with same caption. An archive of the post is available here.
The same set of images has also been shared on Twitter with same caption. An archive of the post can be found here.
Fact Check
BOOM did a reverse image search on the photos and found the same pictures used in several different news reports. While three of the pictures are from a recent incident in Prayagraj, the fourth is from the 2019-ardh-Kumbh Mela held in the city.
Images 1,2 & 3
BOOM did a reverse image search on the picture and found a Deccan Herald article published on July 15, 2020, which mentioned the pictures are from Prayagraj, UP.
The Deccan Herald article credits Press Trust of India for the picture.
According to the article, a businessman in Prayagraj had filed an FIR alleging that some people had painted his house saffron at the behest of BJP leaders.
An NDTV report dated July 15 mentions that two FIRs had been filed regarding the incident as the houses were painted without the consent of the owners.
According to the report, one of the FIRs was filed against Bharatiya Janata Party leader and UP Cabinet minister of Civil Aviation Nand Gopal Gupta, and another was filed by one Ravi Gupta against BJP leader Kamal Kumar Kesarwani, who happens to be Nand Gopal Gupta's cousin.
BOOM also found a tweet from ANI-UP's verified handle which mentions that the incident was from Prayagraj. The tweet also shares a set of four pictures, of which at least one was same as shared in the viral post.
Ravi Gupta had also recorded a video of people spray-painting the Bahadurganj locality, which went viral on social media.
Meanwhile, news reports mention that the minister had rubbished the allegations and said the painting was taken up as part of beautification drive in the city.
BOOM then compared the pictures of the locality painted saffron in Prayagraj and those shared in the viral post. Check below.
The NDTV report has the image of the saffron street view as well.
Image 4
We reverse image searched the fourth image and tracked it to December 2018. Getty Images has the same photo from December 9, 2018 clicked by Sanjay Kanojia for AFP.
The caption with the picture reads 'Indian artists paint pillars of the Shastri bridge over the river Ganges as part of the ongoing 'Paint My City' project in Allahabad on December 9, 2018. - 'Paint My City' project for the upcoming Kumbh Mela festival, in Allahabad. (Photo by SANJAY KANOJIA / AFP) (Photo credit should read SANJAY KANOJIA/AFP via Getty Images)'.
The ardh-Kumbh fair was held in Allahabad (now Prayagraj) between January 15 and March 4, 2019.
We compared the picture from Getty Images and the viral post and found them to be one and the same.
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Additionally, BOOM reached out to DIG, Ayodhya, who said no buildings had been painted saffron in the city.