Video of Indian influencer falsely shared as army hero widow 'flaunting self online'

Published on July 24, 2024 at 10:13
3 min read
By Asma HAFIZ, AFP India

As a financial row erupted within the family of a late Indian army doctor, footage circulated in Facebook posts that falsely suggested it showed his widow living an extravagant lifestyle. The video, which was the latest smear against Smriti Singh, in fact shows a different woman modelling a sari for a fashion brand.

"A mother martyred her son for the country and the deceased soldier's wife is showcasing her beauty on Instagram after taking the one crore rupees ($120,000) in compensation and the Shaurya Chakram," read a Hindi-language Facebook post that shared the video on July 14.

The Shaurya Chakra is India's third-highest peacetime gallantry award, after the Kirti Chakra and Ashok Chakra.

The post appears to refer to Indian army doctor Captain Anshuman Singh, who was posthumously given the Kirti Chakra in July after he was killed saving soldiers in a 2023 fire (archived links here and here).

A bitter dispute has since ensued between the officer's parents and widow, with his father calling for a change to the military's next of kin policy after she reportedly received his pension and -- according to his parents -- took their son's award and belongings and moved out of the family home (archived here and here).

A separate army payment of 10 million rupees ($120,000) in insurance benefits was split between the captain's parents and widow, The Hindu newspaper quoted military sources as saying (archived link).

The video shows a woman posing in a sari while a Hindi song plays in the background.

Screenshot of a Facebook post sharing the false claim

The dispute has triggered online harassment towards Smriti Singh, with fake accounts impersonating her springing up on Instagram.

Mistaken identity

A reverse image search on Google found the video was originally posted online by Indian fashion influencer Reshma Sebastian (archived link).

Sebastian, who has more than 370,000 Instagram followers, wrote that the clip shows her modelling a sari and blouse by an Indian fashion brand.

Screenshot comparison of the clip shared in false posts (left) and the original video posted by Sebastian on Instagram (right)

She also posted on July 14 to denounce "false information" spread about the video.

"This is not Smriti Singh's (widow of Indian Army soldier Capt Anshuman Singh) page/ig account. Read the profile details and bio first. Please refrain from spreading false information and hate comments," she wrote.

Fashion brand ILMA, which is tagged in Sebastian's video, also posted the clip and said it showed her wearing one of their saris.

Screenshot of an Instagram post from Indian fashion brand ILMA sharing the video

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