Fact Check: Viral photo of Maharashtra's first Muslim woman SP is false

Hyderabad: A photo allegedly showing Maharshtra's first Muslim woman SP from an Urdu-medium school has gone viral on social media. A few social media users also pointed out that she is not following the official dress code for policewomen and is wearing a hijab instead.

(archived link)

NewsMeter received requests on WhatsApp to fact-check the viral image. Below is a screenshot of the claim.

FACT CHECK:

This claim is FALSE.

NewsMeter performed a reverse image search and found the same photo had been posted on Facebook on 5 March 2020. According to the post that accompanied the photo, a Muslim girl in Maharashtra had been appointed the superintendent of police for a day. The girl was a student of Malakpur Urdu High School.

Using this information, NewsMeter performed a keyword search and found the viral photo in a news article by Deshdoot, an online website of a Marathi newspaper. It was reported that the girl was made the DSP for a day in Buldhana to commemorate the International Women's Day.

NewsMeter also found a YouTube video by Navbharat Times and Mumbai Times which also reported that a 14-year-old girl was made DSP for a day in Buldhana district of Maharashtra. The incident took place ahead of the International Women's Day and was part of an initiative launched by Buldhana collector Suman Chandra.

Below is a comparison between the viral image and a still image from the YouTube video.

The Buldhana police had tweeted about the occasion on 4 March and shared the same viral photo. The caption, when translated, reads, "I also want to be a superintendent of police. Today is a very important day for me! - The expectations of the one-day superintendent of police Saharish Kawal, Zilla Parishad High School, Malkapur. An innovative initiative of the superintendent of police, Buldhana, Dr. Dilip Patil-Bhujbal on the occasion of International Women's Day."

Here is the archived link of the tweet.

To mark the International Women's Day, female students had been appointed acting SP, DSP, collector, and various other officials for a day in the district. The girl in the photo was a Class IX student.

Hence, the claim that the viral photo shows the first female Muslim SP from an Urdu-medium school is FALSE.