A video showing Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman touching the feet of the mother of a slain army jawan is being shared with a misleading caption that the woman is Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman's mother -- Dr. Shobha Varthaman.
The 30-second video shows Sitharaman standing on stage at an event and then shows her welcoming a woman in a salwar kameez on to the stage. Sitharaman then makes the woman stand beside her and touches her feet.
Many Facebook pages have shared this video with the caption, "Nirmala Sitaraman our honourable defence minister touching the feet of a martyr’s mother. These are the values that need to be inculcated in our children. It comes by setting an example not asking then to do."
Click here for an archived link of the post.
The video is now being shared with the misleading caption on Facebook.
Click here for an archived link of the post.
FACT-CHECK
A simple Google search with the keywords 'Nirmala Sitharaman touches feet of mother' led us to news reports from March 4, 2019 which showed the same video and said that Sitharaman "touches feet of slain jawan's mother in Dehradun"
The moment was widely covered by news organisation inlcuding Indian Express , Times Now and Times Of India. According to the news reports, Sitharaman "touched the feet of mothers of martyrs as a mark of respect at an event in Dehradun in Uttarakhand." It also said that the event was to honour widows and parents of martyrs.
Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, was released on March 1 after being held captive by Pakistani authorities. The Indian Air Force pilot landed in Pakistan after his fighter jet was shot down by the Pakistan Air Force.
Screenshot of the Times of India article with the same video.
BOOM further found a tweet shared by Ganesh Joshi, MLA, Bharatiya Janata Party on March 4, where he had tweeted the same viral video with a caption in Hindi, "आज @nsitharaman जी ने देहरादून में एक पूर्व सैनिक सम्मेलन में प्रतिभाग किया । जब उत्तराखंड के अमर शहीद अजीत प्रधान,सेना मेडल सम्मानित,की माँ हेम कुमारी जी उनका स्वागत करने पहुँचीं तो निर्मला जी ने तुरंत आगे बढ़ कर उनके पाँव छुए। हम सभी पूर्व सैनिकों का सर गर्व से ऊँचा हो गया ।"
English translation : Today Nirmala Sitharaman ji participated in a ex-servicemens' meet in Dehradun. When Hem Kumari ji , mother of martyr Ajit Pradhan (decorated with the Sena medal) went on stage to welcome her, Nirmala ji bowed and touched her feet. It's a proud moment for all of us veterans.
According to Joshi's tweet the woman in the video is Hem Kumari, mother of Ajit Pradhan a martyred Army soldier and not Varthaman's mother.
BOOM had debunked another viral image where it was claimed that the woman is Dr.. Shobha Varthaman. ALSO READ - No, This Is Not Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman’s Mother
