A morphed image of an Indian Air Force (IAF) chopper showering flower petals on migrant labourers walking their way home during the lockdown, is doing the rounds on social media. Several netizens have shared the image as symbolic of the current situation in the country. However many have fallen for the edited photograph.
The image shows a chopper showering petals as a mark of gratitude to migrant workers walking to their villages on an almost empty highway.
The edited photograph was tweeted by multiple verified users, including Congress parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor. Click here to view the archive.
It was also tweeted along with an illustration, which depicts a helicopter paying tribute to the hungry and poor of the country. Click here to view the archive of the tweet.
On May 3 a nationwide thanksgiving effort was organised by the armed forces of the country, to pay gratitude to doctors, paramedics, sanitation staff and other front-line workers who are tending to Coronavirus patients. Choppers showered petals on several hospitals across the country treating COVID-19 patients. There were also grand displays by the Indian Air Force and naval aircrafts, that carried out fly-pasts in several parts of the country. The Indian Coast Guard illuminated coast guard ships as a mark of respect as well.
The photograph was however widely shared on Facebook with many believing it to be true.
The photograph is also viral on Facebook with a Bengali caption, that criticizes the government of India's decision to show gratitude to the frontline workers of COVID-19 at crises times. Click here to view the archive of the post.
Fact Check
We cropped the photograph and reverse searched the migrant workers' and IAF chopper's images separately. The photograph of the migrant workers walking on the highway in Faridabad was taken by photojournalist Money Sharma for international agency AFP on March 27, 2020. Several migrant workers started returning to their villages on foot, after the first phase of lockdown was announced on March 24 and the subsequent restriction in movement.
It can be found in the Getty images archive, with the caption, "Migrant workers and their family members walk with their belongings on a highway towards Uttar Pradesh as they leave for their villages during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus, in Faridabad on March 27, 2020."
The image of the helicopter showering flower petals during the Republic Day celebrations is from Guwahati. It was clicked in 2018, by Anupam Nath. The photo can be found in AP archives.