Old photos falsely linked to recent India-China clash in Tawang
Social media users are sharing two photos that show troops engaged in the clash and taken captive. They claim that 300 Indian troops were killed by China in Tawang.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 16 Dec 2022 6:10 AM GMT
Hyderabad: After the recent Indian and Chinese face-off at Tawang, social media has been flooded with images and videos with fake claims.
Users are sharing two photos that show troops engaged in the clash and taken captive. They claim that 300 Indian troops were killed by China in Tawang.
Click here and here to see the posts.
Fact Check
NewsMeter performed a reverse image search of the photos and found them tweeted by Chinese journalist Shen Shiwei on 7 November 2021. He claimed that the photo shows surrendered Indian soldiers during the Galwan clash of 2020. Indian users replying to the tweet raised doubts saying soldiers' uniforms and hair lengths do not match those of Indian soldiers.
Further, we again performed a reverse image search of the photos and found them in articles published by the Chinese media in 2021. These articles also claimed that the photos show Indian soldiers surrendering during the Galwan clash. (Click here and here to see the images in the article.)
NewsMeter could not independently verify the location and year of the photos, but we found that the photos have been online since 2021.
What about the claim that 300 Indian soldiers were killed during the clash in Tawang?
On 13 December, speaking in both houses of Parliament, Defence Minsiter Rajnath Singh said on 9 December 2022, the PLA troops in a bid to change the status quo transgressed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Yangtse area of the Tawang sector. However, their attempt was foiled by Indian troops firmly and resolutely. He also categorically mentioned that there were no fatalities or serious casualties to Indian troops, but the physical scuffle led to injuries to a few personnel on both sides.
Hence, we conclude that both photos are not from the recent India-China clash in Arunachal Pradesh's Twang. The claim that 300 Indian soldiers were killed is misleading.
