Social media posts falsely claim Indian wrestlers have 'ended' protest

  • This article is more than one year old.
  • Published on May 9, 2023 at 12:24
  • 3 min read
  • By Uzair RIZVI, AFP India

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After top Indian wrestlers gathered in New Delhi to demand the arrest of the sport's federation chief, social media posts falsely claimed to show a photo of the athletes packing up and leaving after they "ended" the demonstration. However, an AFP journalist who visited the protest site on May 9 confirmed it had not been called off. The photo shared in false posts was taken after the protesters spent the night at the site, according to the news agency that published the picture.

“Now we are leaving, remember us in your prayers," reads a Hindi-language tweet posted on May 6.

"The agitation by brother-in-law and sister-in-law has ended".

The photo shows Sangeeta Phogat (left), her sister Vinesh Phogat (centre) and Sangeeta's husband Bajrang Punia (right), all three of whom are wrestlers.

Indian wrestlers, including Olympic medallists and Commonwealth champions, have been protesting in New Delhi since April to demand the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is also a ruling party lawmaker.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) formed a panel in January to investigate sexual harassment and intimidation claims against Singh, but the athletes say there has been insufficient action since then.

Singh has denied the allegations, claiming a conspiracy to smear his reputation and force him out of India's parliament.

Screenshot of the false claim shared on Twitter, taken on May 8, 2023.

The photo was shared in similar posts on Facebook and Twitter, including here and here, which also falsely claimed the wrestlers had ended the protest.

A reverse image search on Google found the photo in an article from April 29 by Quint News, which credited the image to the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency (archived link).

The photo's caption in the PTI's archives says it was taken after the protesters had spent the night at the Jantar Mantar protest site in the Indian capital (archived link).

"Wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Sangita Phogat following a night stay at Jantar Mantar amid their protest, in New Delhi, early Friday, April 28, 2023," it says.

Protest ongoing

An AFP journalist visited the protest site on May 9 and took a photo of demonstrators gathered there.

Photo of the protest site in New Delhi taken by AFP on May 9

The AFP journalist also took a photo of Vinesh Phogat, who is seen in the centre of the image shared in false posts.

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat at the protest site in New Delhi on May 9

Meanwhile, a union of Indian farmers who joined the wrestlers in solidarity broadcast a livestream on Facebook on May 8, which showed demonstrators gathered at the site (archived link).

AFP reported on May 8 that dozens of farmers broke down police barricades to join the protesters.

Indian media including The New Indian Express and Times Now also reported from the protest site on May 8 (archived links here and here).

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