Fact Check: Old image from China falsely passed off as AIIMS Doctors paying tribute to Sitaram Yechury

Sitaram Yechury, National General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), passed away on September 12 while receiving treatment at Delhi's AIIMS Hospital. Following his death, Yechury's body was donated to AIIMS for medical research, in line with his lifelong commitment to public welfare.

In this context, an image has been circulating on social media, claiming to show doctors at AIIMS paying tribute to Yechury. The image depicts several doctors honouring a deceased individual, with the accompanying text stating, “Last salute by AIIMS doctors to the organ donor (Sitaram Yechury).” (Archive)

A Threads user shared the image and wrote, “What a remarkable gesture. Honouring organ donor Sitaram Yechury with a last salute acknowledges the immense contribution by giving others a second chance at life. It’s a profound act of humanity, and such tributes also help raise awareness about the importance of organ donation, inspiring more people to consider becoming donors.”

Fact Check

NewsMeter found the claim to be false, as the image shows medical professionals paying tribute to a fellow doctor in China who donated his organs after passing away in 2016.

Upon conducting a reverse image search, we found the image in a Russian article published five years ago, titled “An Act of Gratitude.” According to the website, Zhao Ju, a 41-year-old doctor from China's Anhui province, had volunteered to serve in Tibet. During his service, he developed headaches and dizziness and was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm, which later ruptured, leading to his death.

Honouring his last wishes, Zhao's family donated his kidneys, liver, and cornea. The article also mentioned that the image depicts fellow doctors bowing in respect at a hospital in Hefei, China.

China's state-run media organisation, China Global Television Network (CGTN), published the image in a report on September 30, 2016, titled “Chinese doctor dies while volunteering in Tibet, donates his organs.”

According to the report, the image shows fellow doctors paying their respects to Zhao with deep bows at a hospital in Hefei City, the capital of Anhui Province. The report also quoted his father saying, “My son was a doctor, he used to heal the wounded and rescue the dying and he would always do his best for the betterment of others.”

The image also appeared in a 2018 article on the website Sixth Tone, discussing the growing trend of organ donation in China. According to the article, the photo shows doctors and nurses paying their respects to an organ donor after surgery. The procedure involved removing the patient’s usable organs at a hospital in Hefei, Anhui province, on September 29, 2016.

Hence, we conclude that the image is from China and depicts a deceased doctor who donated his organs in