2017 Image of Rohingya in B’desh Shared as Migrants Walking Home

Image of a man carrying an old lady on his back is being shared to claim that it shows the plight of migrant workers in India during the COVID-19 lockdown.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

An image of a man carrying an old lady on his back is being shared to claim that it shows the plight of migrant workers in India during the COVID-19 lockdown.

However, the image is not only old but is also not from India. The Quint’s WebQoof team found that the image is from 2017 and shows Rohingya refugees living in Cox’s Bazaar in Bangladesh.

THE CLAIM

The image was shared by @INCSCDept, the official Twitter handle of Dalit Congress. “.@narendramodi जी, क्या आप इनके चेहरे की बेबसी को आप पढ़ पा रहे हैं? कुछ तो करो सरकार..(sic),” the caption along with the image read.

[Translation: @narendramodi, Is the helplessness on their faces visible to you? The government must do something.]

An archived version of the tweet can be accessed here.

The image was also shared by journalists and authors Tavleen Singh and Sagarika Ghose on Twitter along with a host of other images.

An archived link of the tweet can be accessed here.

An archived version of the tweet can be accessed here.

The image is also being shared on Facebook with the same claim.

An archived link of the post can be accessed here.

An archived version of the page can be accessed here.

WHAT WE FOUND

A Google reverse image search directed us to several reports from 2017 which carried the same image and suggested that it is from Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazaar where many Rohingya refugees had come to stay.

Although thousands of migrants are facing hardships because of the lockdown and are walking back home on foot, this particular image in question is an older image.

The Quint’s WebQoof team has also reached out to the photographer to verify the context and know more details. This story will be updated as and when we receive a response.

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