Visuals of Indian opposition leader 'posing with YouTuber detained for spying' are altered
The Hindi-language Facebook post shared on May 21, 2025 says Indian YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra can be seen with Gandhi in the images (archived link).
"What a strange coincidence that every traitor and anti-national is seen with Rahul Gandhi!" it says. "Is Rahul Gandhi the mastermind behind the turmoil in the country?"
The post surfaced after Indian authorities accused Malhotra and ten other people of leaking military information to Pakistan (archived link).
The nuclear-armed foes agreed to a ceasefire on May 10, ending four days of intense fighting that claimed over 70 lives on both sides (archived link).
Fighting erupted two weeks after an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir killed 26 people, which India blamed on Pakistan but denied by Islamabad.
The image was shared with similar claims elsewhere on Facebook, X and Threads, with comments showing some users believed it was genuine.
"I have noticed one thing ... wherever treason is mentioned, Congress is mentioned too," one comment said.
Another wrote, "Congress headquarters is a training centre for traitors."
But a reverse image search on Google revealed the images had been altered.
State lawmaker Aditi Singh shared the first picture on Facebook on December 16, 2017 when she was a member of the Congress party before joining the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2021 (archived link).
The photo's caption reads, "Many congratulations and best wishes to Honourable Rahul Gandhi. Jai Hind!"
Another search reveals Gandhi published the original of the second photo on his Facebook page on September 18, 2022 when he travelled across India as part of his Bharat Jodo Yatra campaign (archived here and here).
It shows him posing for a picture with a person different from that seen in the false post.
AFP has debunked a series of false claims about the India-Pakistan conflict here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Curtain comes down on Big Show's Australian ODI career
Glenn Maxwell has been hailed as one of the most influential figures in one-day cricket history after the destructive batsman retired from the 50-over format. Maxwell announced on Monday he had played his last ODI for Australia, instead opting to focus solely on Twenty20 cricket ahead of next year's World Cup in India and Sri Lanka amid concerns over his body. The 36-year-old's exit from the format comes after Steve Smith also walked away following this year's Champions Trophy, part of a national changing of the guard. Maxwell finishes with the second highest strike-rate in ODI history, with his 3149 career runs struck at a rate of 126.70 and average of 33.81. He also has both the fastest hundred and only double century by an Australian, after his back-to-back epics against Netherlands and Afghanistan in the 2023 World Cup. Maxwell said he had been tempted to play on until Australia's title defence in 2027, but felt his body could no longer handle 50 overs in the field during the Champions Trophy. "I started to think if I don't have the perfect conditions in 50-over cricket, my body probably struggles to get through," Maxwell said in an extended interview on the Final Word Podcast. "I realised it was probably a bit far-fetched to to keep I suppose reaching for that next series and try to hold on. "In reality, I think I'd be doing a disservice to the team ... more hoping rather than expecting to get through. "I don't think that would be fair to anyone." Carnage by Glenn Maxwell 🔥The fastest century in Men's Cricket World Cup history 🙌Highlights: | #AUSvNED — ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) October 26, 2023Maxwell broke onto the scene when he was picked for an ODI against Pakistan in Sharjah in 2012 as a batting allrounder. He almost immediately followed the line of Michael Bevan and Mike Hussey as great middle-order talents, albeit with more flair and punch. The right-hander played a prominent role in Australia's 2015 success on home soil, belting 102 from 53 balls against Sri Lanka in a match at the SCG. He was dropped from the team a year later, but was back for the 2019 World Cup and then had his crowning moment four years later in India. With Australia's spot in the tournament in peril, Maxwell famously blasted an unbeaten 201 from 128 balls while batting on one leg to take Australia from 7-91 to a successful chase of 292 against Afghanistan. "I'm extremely fortunate that I was able to have my moment," Maxwell said. "Almost everything that you've worked hard for, the peak of your powers, being able to put it in front of the world to see. "It's almost like saying this is the best of me, you can either take it or leave it, but this is all I've got." Maxwell would hit the winning runs in the final against India, after also getting the key wicket of Rohit Sharma with the ball. "Congratulations to Glenn on what has been one of the most exciting and influential one-day international careers in the format's history," Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg said. "Glenn's ballistic batting has lit up the cricket world and been one of the cornerstones of Australia's continued success in the 50 over game, including his heroic role in the 2023 World Cup triumph."
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Free trade talks between India, Eurasian countries to start this year, Russian official says
NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Discussions on a free trade agreement between India and the Eurasian Economic Union countries are expected to start this year, Russian Trade Commissioner in India, Andrey Sobolev, said on Monday. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Footage of plane wreckage falsely linked to India-Pakistan crisis
"Funeral of Indian fighter jet held in Pakistan. Pakistani people are putting out the fire with sand," reads the Bengali-language caption of a Facebook video posted on May 7, 2025. The video shows the burning wreckage of a crashed fighter jet, with some individuals speaking in Punjabi trying to put out the flames by throwing sand and dirt on it. It was shared as India and Pakistan engaged in four days of intense fighting in the worst violence between the nuclear-armed neighbours in decades. More than 70 people on both sides were killed in the jet fighter, missile, drone and heavy artillery attacks which came to a halt on May 10 after the announcement of a ceasefire (archived link). The conflict was sparked by an attack on tourists by gunmen in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 that New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing -- a charge Pakistan denies. The video was also shared alongside similar posts on Facebook and Instagram. The footage, however, does not show a crashed Indian jet during the latest conflict. A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video led to the same footage posted on Instagram by online news outlet eTimes Pakistan on April 16 (archived link). "A Pakistan Air Force Jet has crashed near Vehari City," reads its caption, referring to a city in Pakistan's Punjab province. Pakistan news outlet Dawn used a still from the video in its report about the crash on April 16 (archived link). According to the Dawn report, the aircraft "was on a training flight but crashed due to some technical fault". AFP previously debunked similar posts that misrepresented visuals from the same crash here, and has debunked other false claims related to the latest India-Pakistan conflict here.
