Fact check: Didi's injuries are real, images are fake
After the recent injury of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, a set of two images of her in a wheelchair and...
By Newsmeter Network Published on 18 March 2021 7:46 AM GMT
HYDERABAD: After the recent injury of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, a set of two images of her in a wheelchair and another picture of her lying on a hospital bed are viral on social media. Some users claim that she has faked her injury.
Netizens pointed out that in one picture the bandage is on the left leg, while in another image it is on her right leg thus indicating that the injury is fake.
The claim, along with the images reads: "In two days, Bandage dressing changed from left to right leg. This is what happens when a director does not know the script or the director is changed in between shots [sic]"
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NewsMeter found that the claim is fake as the viral image is a flipped version of the original image.
FACT CHECK:
According to several reports by media organizations such as Times of India, Hindustan Times and Scroll.in, Mamata Banerjee suffered a foot injury after being allegedly "pushed against her car by four-five people" during her campaign in Nandigram.
This resulted in "severe bone injuries" on her left ankle and foot. She also suffered wounds on the right shoulder, forearm and neck". A cast was put on her left foot.
While the image of Banerjee lying on the hospital bed shows her left leg in a cast (view a news report image here), NewsMeter found that the second image is fake as the original image shows the cast on the left leg. Pictures in news reports by Outlook India and India Today show the same image but the cast is on the left leg.
Below is a picture of the original image and viral image. Notice the background; this indicates that the original image has been flipped to give a new spin.
Evidently, it is clear that the claim of Mamata Banerjee faking her injury is false. The viral image is a flipped version of the original image. A cast has been put on her left leg.
