Fact check: Kerala gold smuggling protests passed off as farmers' agitation
By Newsmeter Network Published on 3 Oct 2020 5:09 AM GMT
Hyderabad: A few images are viral on social media with a claim that the farmers protest had turned violent and many were attacked and injured.
"Furious pictures of farmers' movement will make you afraid. The media will not show the atrocities," a Facebook user posted. (archived post)
किसान आंदोलन हुआ उग्र तस्वीरें आपको भयभीत कर देगी अन्नदाताओं पर जो अत्याचार हो रहा है यह बिकाऊ मीडिया आपको नहीं दिखाएगा
Posted by युवा काँग्रेस कैथल हरियाणा on� Saturday, September 26, 2020
Click here and here to view similar claims.
FACT CHECK:
The claim that these pictures were taken during the farmers' protest is false.
Newsmeter performed a reverse image search and found the same pictures on the official Facebook page of Indian Youth Congress (IYC) which was posted in September 2020. "We strongly condemn the brutal attack on Youth Congress cadres throughout Kerala for protesting against the LDF government involving gold smuggling. MLA VT bahram and workers seriously injured in the attack. State-sponsored violence cannot intimidate us," reads the message.
We strongly condemn the brutal attack on Youth Congress cadres through out Kerala for protesting against LDF govt's...
Posted by Indian Youth Congress on� Thursday, September 17, 2020
Using this information, we performed a keyword search and found the same images in different news articles like Hindustan Times, Pratidhvani, and The Lede, which proves that the pictures are from Kerala demanding the resignation of Minister KT Jaleel over gold smuggling case.
We also found a Twitter post by IYC Kerala dated September 18, 2020, which also states that there was a lathi charge on MLA Balram VT and other Youth Congress workers.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and Youth Congress President Srinivas BV had also shared the images on Twitter with the same claim.
These viral pictures are not from farmers' protests. Thus, it is clear that the claim is false.
