Fact Check: Dr Manmohan Singh's last image shows him bedridden in hospital? No, image is from 2021

Hyderabad: Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh passed away on December 26, 2024, at the age of 92, following age-related health complications. He was receiving treatment at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi.

In this context, an image of Dr Singh, reportedly bedridden in a hospital, has been circulating on social media, and some claim it shows his last picture.

An X user shared the image and wrote, “Last photo of Manmohan Singh ji. Salute to such a great personality who took the sinking economic condition of the country to new heights.” (Archive)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false, as the image is from 2021.

Upon a reverse image search, we found the uncropped version of the image and another posted by the Navbharat Times on October 14, 2021. The uncropped version showed then Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya and a doctor also featured in the image, while the other image featured Mandaviya and Singh’s wife, Gursharan Kaur.

The post stated that Mandaviya had visited former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, who was admitted to AIIMS.

We also found the image published in a video report by The Tribune on October 14, 2021. According to the media outlet, Mansukh Mandaviya met former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to enquire about his health, as he had been admitted to AIIMS after complaining of weakness following a fever. ANI also posted pictures on the same day of Mandaviya going to meet the former Prime Minister and Congress leader at AIIMS.

However, according to a Hindustan Times report dated October 15, 2021, Mandaviya’s visit to enquire about former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s health faced criticism due to the same photograph allegedly taken inside the ward without the family’s consent. The Congress party condemned the act, accusing the BJP of staging a ‘photo op.’

The criticism came after Singh’s daughter, Daman Singh, accused Mandaviya of bringing a photographer against the family’s wish.

We also came across an October 15, 2021, report by The Print titled, “‘Not animals in a zoo’: Manmohan’s daughter says Mandaviya got pix shot in AIIMS despite objection.”

Speaking to the media outlet, Daman Singh revealed that her mother was deeply upset after a photographer entered the room with the minister. Despite her mother’s insistence that the photographer leave, her request was ‘completely ignored.’

The report quoted Daman as saying, “She was very upset. My parents are trying to cope with a difficult situation. They are elderly people, not animals in a zoo.”

Therefore, we conclude that the image of Dr Singh bedridden in the hospital is from 2021 and does not show his last picture. The claim is false.