A 2019 photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting a church in Sri Lanka is being shared as recent and from India. BOOM found that the photo is from June 2019 when Modi visited church which was bombed during the Easter suicide attacks in Sri Lanka.
In the image, PM Modi is standing with folded hands beside two persists with a bouquet lying in the front of the table. The viral photo is being shared with the caption, "First time modi came to the church please share with everyone,,,"
BOOM received the forward on its WhatsApp helpline number (7700906111) inquiring about its veracity.
Viral on Facebook
We searched with the viral caption on Facebook and found that it was being shared with the misleading claim.
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FACT-CHECK
A reverse image search using Google images showed that the photograph was taken in June 2019, when Modi was in Sri Lanka and made an unscheduled visit to a Catholic church, bombed during the Easter suicide attacks in April 2019.
The search results showed several articles that had the same viral image. The PM's entourage had taken a detour to St Anthony's church on its way to President Maithripala Sirisena's office in Sri Lanka, where a red carpet military parade awaited reported NDTV on June 9, 2019.
The same image was tweeted by the official handle of the Ministry of External Affairs on June 9, 2019.
PM Modi had tweeted on visiting the church saying, "I am confident Sri Lanka will rise again. Cowardly acts of terror cannot defeat the spirit of Sri Lanka. India stands in solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka," PM Modi tweeted while posting photos of himself at the church."
The image is being shared in the backdrop of PM Modi declaring a 21-day national lockdown to combat the spread of Coronavirus on March 24, 2020.
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