Fact-Check: Photo of Dr BR Ambedkar on All Seats is NOT From the Parliament!

The image is from Karnataka's Legislative Council when the Congress staged a protest against Shah's comments.

Amid the controversy around Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks on Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar in the parliament, an image went viral claiming that his photo was placed in every opposition member's seat to mark their protest.

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

Is the claim true?: No, the claim is false.

• The image is from the Karnataka Suvarna Soudha or Legislative Council in Belagavi and not Union Parliament.

What we found: We ran a Google reverse image search on the image and found a similar picture on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah official X page from 19 December.

• The post noted, "A protest was held today in the House by placing a portrait of Ambedkar in front of the seats of the ruling party members, protesting against Union Home Minister Amit Shah's denigration of the architect of the Constitution, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar." (sic)

ಸಂವಿಧಾನ ಶಿಲ್ಪಿ ಡಾ.ಬಾಬಾಸಾಹೇಬ್ ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್ ಅವರನ್ನು ಕೇಂದ್ರ ಗೃಹ ಸಚಿವರಾದ ಅಮಿತ್ ಶಾ ಅವರು ಅವಹೇಳನ ಮಾಡಿರುವುದನ್ನು ವಿರೋಧಿಸಿ ಸದನದಲ್ಲಿ ಇಂದು ಆಡಳಿತ ಪಕ್ಷದ ಸದಸ್ಯರ ಆಸನಗಳ‌ ಎದುರು ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರರ ಭಾವಚಿತ್ರವಿಟ್ಟು ಪ್ರತಿಭಟನೆ ನಡೆಸಲಾಯಿತು. pic.twitter.com/rEfCvavX9q

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) December 19, 2024

• Similarly, Siddaramaiah also shared similar visuals on his Instagram page.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah_official)

• The official page of Karnataka Congress also shared the visuals and noted, "Karnataka Congress MLAs and ministers have staged a protest at the Suvarna Soudha, holding a portrait of Ambedkar, condemning the statement made by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah insulting Babasaheb Ambedkar. After the protest, Ambedkar's portrait was placed on the tables in front of the members, and the entire House is adorned with Ambedkar's portraits!" (sic.)

ಬಾಬಾ ಸಾಹೇಬ್ ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕ‌ರ್ ಅವರನ್ನು ಅಪಮಾನಿಸಿ ಕೇಂದ್ರ ಗೃಹ ಸಚಿವ @AmitShah ನೀಡಿರುವ ಹೇಳಿಕೆಯನ್ನು ಖಂಡಿಸಿ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಶಾಸಕರು, ಸಚಿವರು ಸುವರ್ಣಸೌಧದಲ್ಲಿ ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್ ಭಾವಚಿತ್ರ ಹಿಡಿದು ಪ್ರತಿಭಟನೆ ನಡೆಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಪ್ರತಿಭಟನೆ ಬಳಿಕ ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕ‌ರ್ ಅವರ ಚಿತ್ರವನ್ನು ಸದಸ್ಯರ ಮುಂಭಾಗದ ಟೇಬಲ್‌ಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಇರಿಸಲಾಗಿದ್ದು, ಸದನದ… pic.twitter.com/chSGgyDnW8

— Karnataka Congress (@INCKarnataka) December 19, 2024

• Several news reports by the News Minute and the Hindustan Times covered this incident. They noted that images of Ambedkar were arranged on benches by Congress leaders, which sparked a tumultuous session in the Legislative Council.

• The conflict intensified into a confrontation as Congress members displayed images of Ambedkar and chanted slogans against Shah and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

• The opposition BJP countered with their own placards. In the midst of the commotion, the Chairman tried to continue with the planned agenda, but the session stayed tumultuous.

Conclusion: The viral claim is false as this image is not from the parliament but the Karnataka Legislative Council.

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