Akhilesh, Dimple Yadav’s 2022 photo at Mulayam’s resting place falsely viral

An image of Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and his wife Dimple Yadav is being shared widely on social media. Users are claiming that the image shows the duo paying respects at the burial site of slain gangsters Atiq Ahmed and Ashraf Ahmed, who were assassinated in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, while in police custody. Some users referred to Akhilesh and Dimple Yadav as ‘beta’ (son) and ‘bahu (daughter-in-law) of Atiq or Ashraf Ahmed.

On X (Twitter), user Manoj Srivastava (@ManojSr60583090) shared the above-mentioned image on March 3 with a caption in Hindi that can be translated as: “On the grave of Atiq Ahmed and Ashraf who were killed in the encounter
His son and daughter-in-law Akhilesh and Dimple Yadav”. The tweet has been viewed over 1 Lakh times and has been retweeted over 700 times. (Archive)

*एनकाऊंटर में ढेर हुए अतीक अहमद और अशरफ की कब्र पर*

*उनके बेटे बहू अखिलेश ओर डिंपल यादव* pic.twitter.com/DjYGB2zkgC

— Manoj Srivastava (@ManojSr60583090) March 3, 2024

Several other users shared the image claiming the same on X and Facebook. Below are a few instances.

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Fact Check

We ran a reverse image search on the image in question which led us to a number of new reports from 2022 that carried the same image.

We came across a report from an outlet called The Morung Express, as per which the image showed the couple paying their tributes to the late Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav’s father and former chief of the Samajwadi Party. The couple visited the late politician’s resting place before Dimple Yadav’s filing her nomination for the Mainpuri assembly by-election. The report was published on November 14, 2022.

We came across another news report from News 18 that carried the same image. The title of the report in Hindi said: “Mainpuri By-election: Mulayam Singh’s tomb became the battleground of politics, daughter-in-law and disciple face to face.” The report was published on November 17, 2022. This report, too, mentions that before filing her nomination for the Mainpuri by-election, Dimple Yadav along with her husband had gone to pay their tributes to her late father-in-law, Mulayam Singh Yadav.

We also found this image shared by Dimple Yadav herself on X on November 14, 2022. Sharing the now-viral image, she wrote in Hindi, “With a respectful tribute to Netaji, we are dedicating today’s nomination to his principles and values. Netaji’s blessings have always been with all of us, and will always be there.” The late Mulayam Singh Yadav was popularly known as ‘Netaji‘.

नेताजी को सादर नमन के साथ, हम आज का नामांकन उनके सिद्धांतों और मूल्यों को समर्पित कर रहे हैं।

नेताजी का आशीर्वाद हम सबके साथ हमेशा रहा है, हमेशा रहेगा। pic.twitter.com/KgUkyp0gZN

— Dimple Yadav (@dimpleyadav) November 14, 2022

Therefore, the claim that Samajwadi party chief Akhilesh Yadav and leader Dimple Yadav went to pay tributes to Atiq Ahmed and Ashraf Ahmed is false. The image is from 2022 when the couple Mulayam Singh Yadav’s final resting place to pay their respects to the late leader. Atiq and Ashraf Ahmed were assassinated in April 2023.