Not an Indian army soldier; this is a still from a winter surfing video from Michigan, USA - Alt News
Arjun Sidharth
7th January 2019 / 8:30 pm
A photograph has gone viral on social media, with the claim that it represents a soldier of the Indian army in the line of duty. हमारे जवान -5 माईनस डिर्गी मे भी अपना फर्ज निभाते है , और हम आराम से सो जाते हैं , यह अपना वतन बचाते है ,जय हिन्द जय भारत (Our jawans fulfill their duty even in -5 degree temperature, and we sleep in peace. They are the saviours of our country. Jai Hind Jai Bharat) (translation). This is the message that has been shared along with the image.
हमारे जवान -5 माईनस डिर्गी मे भी अपना फर्ज निभाते है , और हम आराम से सो जाते हैं , यह अपना वतन बचाते है ,जय हिन्द जय भारत.
Posted by हिंदुस्थानी सेना on Sunday, January 6, 2019
The above post is by a Facebook page Hindustani Sena which has a massive following of close to 2 million. It has also been posted by another page Bharatiya Yoddha, where it has been shared over 1900 times so far. The photograph has been posted and shared widely, particularly by individual users on Facebook.
The image is NOT representative of the Indian army. It has been taken from a video which is available on YouTube.
The above video was posted in December 2017 and was shot at Lake Superior, the largest of the five Great Lakes of Northern America on the USA-Canada border. The video has been posted by one Jerry Mills and shows a man surfing the lake in sub-zero temperature. The name of the surfer is Dan Schetter aka Surfer Dan.
The description accompanying another YouTube video says, “Meet our legendary local surfer, Dan Schetter, aka Surfer Dan, one of a small group of locals who surf Lake Superior even in the most extreme conditions. This day was really extreme as the wind chill was -30. I was out there capturing footage for my Jerrysim series and almost got frostbite on my right hand trying to capture this moment as well as his ride into shore. His ice beard says it all about the severe cold. Filmed at Presque Isle Park in Marquette, MI, on the southern shore of Lake Superior, in Michigan’s magnificent Upper Peninsula.”
Similar kinds of posts have been shared time and again on social media. For instance, a photograph of Russian/Ukrainian soldiers had been passed off as Indian army soldiers stationed at Siachen.
Arjun Sidharth is a writer with Alt News. He has previously worked in the television news industry, where he managed news bulletins and breaking news scenarios, apart from scripting numerous prime time television stories. He has also been actively involved with various freelance projects. Sidharth has studied economics, political science, international relations and journalism. He has a keen interest in books, movies, music, sports, politics, foreign policy, history and economics. His hobbies include reading, watching movies and indoor gaming.
Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi recently performed aarti at the Narmada Ghat in Madhya Pradesh’s Omkareshwar…
In the wake of the alleged murder of Shraddha Walkar by his partner Aftab Amin…
The video of a group of people stopping an e-rickshaw with BJP flags attached to…
Last week during the G20 summit in Bali, world leaders were informed of a missile…
Recently, several prominent BJP leaders claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had intervened to stop…