Fact Check: Slipper thrown at Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin at public meeting? No, image is edited

Hyderabad: An image claiming to show a slipper thrown at MK Stalin, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, is going viral on social media.

The image shows MK Stalin walking down a red carpeted ramp with two bodyguards, with a crowd greeting him from both sides. The image shows him reaching out to take a scarf from someone in the crowd, as a slipper is seen directly above him in the picture, highlighted by a red circle.

The image was shared via Facebook with the caption, “Slippers thrown at MK Stalin during Ramp walk”. (Archive)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. Footwear was not hurled at CM Stalin at the Virudhunagar DMK meeting. The image is edited.

Using a reverse image search, we found a report published by Dtnext on February 8. The report used an image similar to the viral image, showing the Tamil Nadu CM walking on a red ramp with a crowd on either side.

The caption of the image stated that the image shows CM MK Stalin waving at supporters while taking part in Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s Youth Wing conference in Virudhunagar on February 7. This image does not show any slippers thrown at the Tamil Nadu CM. The report also does not mention that any such incident took place.

The same was also shared on the official Instagram account of MK Stalin on February 7 with the hashtag #Youth4DMK2026 in the caption. There is no mention of a slipper being thrown at him.

We found a video showing MK Stalin walking down the ramp that was shared by PTI on the same day. The caption of the post reads, “VIDEO | Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin (@mkstalin) arrives at Virudhunagar venue for DMK’s youth wing conference. (Source: Third Party)”

Finding the viral image in the event video

We found that the video shows the exact moment captured by the viral image. At the 0:13 mark in the video, we can see a man leaning over the ramp, handing a red shawl to MK Stalin. A comparison of this exact frame in the video and the viral image can be found below.

In the entire video, we did not find anyone throwing slippers at Stalin. This confirms there were no slippers thrown at the Tamil Nadu CM at the DMK Youth Wing conference in Virudhunagar on February 7.

Sathiyam News also uploaded a video of Stalin walking on the ramp at the public meeting. The video was shared on YouTube with the title, “CMSTALIN | Udhayanidhistalin | VirudhunagarDMKMaanadu | Chief Minister Stalin shows off his acting skills”. (Translated from Tamil)

In this YouTube video at the 3:11-minute mark, we can see the same keyframe as in the viral image. Even in this video, we can see that no slipper was hurled at the Tamil Nadu CM.

NewsMeter spoke to Mohammed Jailani, a journalist from Virudhunagar, where the DMK Youth Wing meeting was held on February 7. He confirmed that he was present at the meeting and that there was no incident as claimed in the viral post. He also said that the viral image showing the slipper might be edited, as no one hurled any footwear at Stalin during the meeting.

Therefore, NewsMeter concludes that the viral claim is false. Footwear was not hurled at Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin as he walked on the ramp at the meeting in Virudhunagar on February 7.