Doctored image shared alongside false claim about Indian right-wing group saluting Queen Elizabeth II during fight to end British rule
An image has been shared in multiple Facebook posts alongside a claim it shows members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), an Indian right-wing organisation, saluting Queen Elizabeth II during the fight for independence from British rule. The claim is false; the image has been doctored from another photo showing Queen Elizabeth II visiting Nigeria in 1956.
The photo was published here in a Facebook post on January 29, 2020.
A screenshot of the misleading Facebook post taken on December 21, 2020The post’s caption in Hindi translates to English as: “Long live the Queen of Britain.”
The Hindi-language text superimposed on the image translates to English as: “Long live the Queen of Britain, it was very difficult to find the picture, send this to everyone to show who is a traitor. When the entire country was fighting against the British, then some of these RSS traitors were saluting the Queen, and their descendants call themselves patriots.”
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is a right-wing organisation in India.
“Queen of Britain” refers to Queen Elizabeth II.
The photo was also shared here, here and here on Facebook alongside a similar claim.
The claim is false: the image is actually a composite picture of two different photos.
The photo of the Queen inspecting the Guard of Honour was published here on Twitter on November 24, 2018.
The caption reads: “Queen Elizabeth II inspects the Nigerian Army of the Royal West African Frontier Forces (Queen's Regiment) during her visit to Nigeria in 1956.”
Below is a screenshot of the Twitter photo:
The other photo of RSS workers standing in a queue has been published by various Indian news websites, for example here on Deccan Chronicle and here on the Times of India.
Below is a screenshot of the photo:
Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne in February 1952, almost five years after India gained independence from Great Britain on August 15, 1947.
