This photo does not show India’s national flag being burned in India – it's a 2015 Associated Press photo taken in Pakistan
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on May 17, 2019 at 11:20
- 2 min read
- By AFP India
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The photo can be seen in this May 5, 2019 Facebook post which has been shared more than 14,000 times.
Below is a screenshot of the misleading post:
The photo shows two men holding a burning Indian flag. Behind them, a banner carries the words: “India is Supporting Terrorism” alongside a photo of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Hindi-language text superimposed on the image translates to English as:
“Appeal to President, those who burn the Indian flag in the country, they should be immolated in the middle of the street (don’t associate this with religion).”
The Facebook post's Hindi-language caption says: “Why are you burning the Indian flag while opposing Modi, son of 72 fathers.”
The post was also shared elsewhere on Facebook with an identical caption for example here, here and here, and on Twitter here with a similar caption.
Some of the comments on the Facebook post suggest that people believed the photograph showed an incident in India.
One user wrote in Hindi: "If you guys don't love our country then leave this country, or else Modi is coming for you."
Below is a screenshot of that comment with the user's identity redacted:
But the image was not taken in India. It is actually an Associated Press news agency photo from June 2015 and shows a protest in Pakistan against Modi after his remarks on India’s role in the creation of Bangladesh.
A reverse image search on Google found the original image here on the AP website.
Below is a screenshot of the photo on the AP website:
The original AP caption states: “Pakistani protesters burn an Indian flag during a protest in Multan, Pakistan, Thursday, June 11, 2015.
"Pakistan has reacted angrily to comments made by the Indian prime minister that reportedly acknowledged Indian forces had a role in the war that created Bangladesh, part of Pakistan until 1971 when separatists won independence after a war. (AP Photo/Asim Tanveer).”
Here is an AP report published on June 9, 2015, about Modi’s comments regarding Bangladesh.
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