This photo does not show late Indian activist Stan Swamy before he died -- it shows another prisoner
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on July 14, 2021 at 06:23
- 2 min read
- By AFP India
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The photo was shared on Facebook on July 5, 2021.
The post’s caption translates to English as: “What a different scene than what we have lived under the rule of such a deadly monster. Deep condolences to 84-year-old late social activist Stan Swamy.”
Father Stan Swamy was an 84-year-old rights activist and Jesuit priest who died in hospital on July 5, 2021. He had been imprisoned for nine months without trial under Indian anti-terrorism laws.
The photo was also shared here and here on Facebook alongside a similar claim.
The claim, however, is false.
A reverse image search on Google found the original photo was published here by Indian news outlet NDTV on May 13, 2021.
The report states it shows a 92-year-old prisoner being treated in a hospital in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
The report reads in part: “A jail official was suspended on Thursday for chaining a 92-year-old prisoner to his hospital bed during treatment in Uttar Pradesh's Etah district, the authorities said.”
The photo's caption reads: "Baburam Singh, a convicted murderer, was taken to the hospital due to breathing issues."
The prisoner is named in the report as Baburam Balwan Singh.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the photo in the misleading posts (L) and the NDTV photo (R):
The story was widely reported alongside the same photo by various Indian news websites in May 20201, including by Times of India and India Today.
Below is a screenshot of a photo of Stan Swamy from the Times of India website published on July 5, 2021:
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