Image of Indian prime minister with shadow resembling an animal has been digitally altered
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on September 6, 2021 at 16:50
- 2 min read
- By Mary KULUNDU, AFP Kenya
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“Not all People are human, that's why some of them behaves according to their shadows, we pray to Allah to be real fiscally and spiritual (sic),” reads one post shared more than 700 times on a Nigerian Facebook page.
Modi’s shadow in the image appears to resemble a donkey.
Similar posts with the image have been shared on Facebook here, here and here. The claim surfaced as global concern mounts for the treatment of minority faiths in India.
Modi is a Hindu and his tenure as prime minister has coincided with what critics see as a slide toward violent religious nationalism. AFP has reported on the issue here.
Last year former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo released the 2019 International Religious Freedom Report, which highlighted atrocities against people of minority faiths in India.
Brutal attacks against Muslims have been reported elsewhere here, here and here.
Altered image
Using reverse image searches, AFP Fact Check found the original photo on several Indian news websites, including here, here and here. The reports described Modi’s visit to an Indian army base in Nimu, Ladakh – in the region of Kashmir – on July 3, 2020.
The image is credited to Asian News International (ANI), an Asian news agency. AFP Fact Check traced the image to the ANI's website. The original clearly shows Modi’s real shadow and those of the men alongside him.
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