Fact-Check: Viral Photo of Sheikh Hasina With Hindu Seers is Altered

The original image shows Rahul Gandhi with the priests and not Hasina.

An image showing a priest applying tilak mark on former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's forehead is going viral online.

(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

Is this true?: No, this photo is edited.

• The original image shows Leader of Opposition of Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi with the seers at Sivagiri Mutt in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

How did we find out the truth?: We performed a reverse image search on Google and found the original image shared by Congress' official account on X (formerly Twitter).

• The post included four images and one of them matched with the viral image.

• This was shared on 14 September 2022.

Sree Narayana Guru dedicated his life to reject casteism, promote social equality & spiritual enlightenment. The revered Sivagiri mutt has been visited by Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Ji & Rajeev Gandhi in the past. His teachings will always inspire the humankind.#BharatJodoYatra 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/3XbPyGobs0

— Congress (@INCIndia) September 14, 2022

The original image shows Rahul Gandhi with several priests at Sivagiri Mutt, a pilgrimage place in Kerala.

• Several news reports including The Hindu, Kerala Kaumudi and Onmanorama also shared how Gandhi visited Sivagiri Mutt when he started Bharat Jodo Yatra in September 2022.

• Moreover, we did not find any news reports about Hasina visiting interacting with Hindu priests recently.

Conclusion: An old image of Rahul Gandhi was altered to claim that Sheikh Hasina was taking part in Hindu cultural practices.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9540511818 , or e-mail it to us at [e-mail] and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)