ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD

Morphed Image Shared to Claim Mamata Faked Injury Ahead of Polls

A 2012 image of Mamata walking has been morphed onto the original image, which shows her outside the hospital.

Updated
WebQoof
4 min read
story-hero-img
i
Aa
Aa
Small
Aa
Medium
Aa
Large
Hindi Female

A morphed image of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has gone viral with a claim that she ‘walked’ away from her wheelchair, insinuating that her leg injury is just an election gimmick.

However, we found that some users had photoshopped the image to further the "drama" narrative.

Banerjee was injured after she was allegedly attacked while campaigning in Nandigram on 10 March. The incident has left the electorate divided and has also sparked a polarised debate on social media with some believing that she was attacked while others calling it a "drama".

ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD

CLAIM

Several users shared the image with the caption, “Plaster on the leg on the first day, crepe bandage after cutting the plaster on the second day, and a miracle on the third day, she’s standing on her feet,” in Hindi.

A Facebook page, ‘Ajit Kumar Doval : The Pride of India’ had garnered over 4,100 likes and 1,400 shares at the time of writing this article.

A 2012 image of Mamata walking has been morphed onto the original image, which shows her outside the hospital.
You can view an archived version here.
(Photo: Facebook/Screenshot)
A 2012 image of Mamata walking has been morphed onto the original image, which shows her outside the hospital.
You can view an archived version here.
(Photo: Facebook/Screenshot)

The image was shared widely on Facebook and Twitter.

A 2012 image of Mamata walking has been morphed onto the original image, which shows her outside the hospital.
You can view the posts here.
(Photo: Facebook/Screenshot)

Aashif Qureshi, who identifies himself as the Vice-President of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) in Rajasthan’s Bidasar, had garnered over 4,100 likes on his tweet, at the time of writing this article.

A 2012 image of Mamata walking has been morphed onto the original image, which shows her outside the hospital.
You can view an archived version here.
(Photo: Twitter/Screenshot)

The image was also shared by Anusha Binny, calling it a "miracle".

A 2012 image of Mamata walking has been morphed onto the original image, which shows her outside the hospital.
You can view an archived version here.
(Photo: Twitter/Screenshot)
0

WHAT WE FOUND OUT

A reverse image search after cropping Banerjee from the viral image led us to The Quint’s article dated 19 May 2016, carrying the original image, attributed to news agency Reuters.

Through a keyword search, we came across the original image on Reuters. It was taken on 13 June 2012 by photographer B Mathur and shows Banerjee walking out of Sonia Gandhi’s residence in New Delhi after a meeting.

A 2012 image of Mamata walking has been morphed onto the original image, which shows her outside the hospital.

A comparison of the viral image with the original one can be seen below.

A 2012 image of Mamata walking has been morphed onto the original image, which shows her outside the hospital.

Further, we found that the original image, which shows her being wheeled out of the hospital in Kolkata, in an article by Business Standard.

A comparison of the original image with the photoshopped image can be seen below.

A 2012 image of Mamata walking has been morphed onto the original image, which shows her outside the hospital.

The 2012 image has been edited to make it appear as though she’s wearing a saree with a darker-blue border, similar to the one the TMC Chief was wearing upon being discharged from the SSKM hospital.

A 2012 image of Mamata walking has been morphed onto the original image, which shows her outside the hospital.

Similar visuals of Banerjee being discharged can be seen below.

The incident in Nandigram, which catalysed BJP leader Yashwant Sinha to join TMC may become a tipping point for the Assembly elections in West Bengal. While the ECI has ruled out an "attack”, a CVoter opinion poll shows that 44.2 percent of around 1,500 respondents believe Banerjee’s claim that she was “attacked” and 39.2 percent don’t.

Amid this debate, the image being circulated on social media of the Chief Minister “walking", has been clearly photoshopped.

ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9643651818, or e-mail it to us at webqoof@thequint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)

(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)

Read Latest News and Breaking News at The Quint, browse for more from news and webqoof

Published: 
Speaking truth to power requires allies like you.
Become a Member
3 months
12 months
12 months
Check Member Benefits
Read More
×
×