An apparent picture of the Union minister of women and child development, Smriti Irani, has gone viral on social media. The picture depicts her wearing a belly dance costume and a man seemingly fixing something on her costume.
An unverified account on X (formerly Twitter), @LautanRamNish, had shared the image with the caption, ” इस पिक्चर में जो अप्सरा हैं,उनका नाम बता सकते हैं?” The tweet had received over 67,900 views before it was deleted. (Archive)
Congress leader Dr. Arunesh Kumar Yadav (@YadavArunesh) also shared the picture on X, which was later deleted.
Unverified X users like @Mikhan55 and @MonubhaiAhir1 also shared the image with derogatory captions.
X user @SHABAN14334970 had shared the image back in 2022.
पहचानते तो होंगे आप लोग? pic.twitter.com/vwmCwrED3i
— SHABAN شعبان قريشى ❤️🌹 (@SHABAN14334970) December 20, 2022
Fact Check
We reverse-searched the viral image on Google. This led us to the original image posted on travel and tourism website tripadvisor.com.
The original image was posted by a user, angiebstoker, back in 2012. The original image depicts a different woman and was clicked at a BBQ night event held in Club Exelsior, Turkey.
A comparison of the viral image with the original picture reveals that both of them depict the same people in the background. A filter has been added to the viral picture and the face of the dancer has been digitally altered and Smriti Irani’s face has been imposed on it.
According to Jagran News, an FIR was filed against Congress leader Arunesh Yadav in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, for sharing the viral picture on X. Yadav deleted the tweet and issued an apology on X, stating, “2 days ago, a morphed photo was posted on my Twitter ID, which was lying on the internet, as soon as I got to know about it, I deleted that tweet. If my tweet has hurt anyone’s sentiments, I am sorry.”
मेरी ट्विटर आईडी से 2 दिन पहले त्रुटि वस एक Morphed फोटो पोस्ट की गई थी, जो कि इंटरनेट पे पड़ी थी, जिसकी जानकारी मुझे मिलते ही मैंने उस ट्वीट को डिलीट कर दिया था।
यदि मेरे उस ट्वीट से किसी की भावनाएं आहत हुई है तो उसके लिए मुझे खेद है।— Dr. Arunesh Kumar Yadav (डॉ अरुणेश यादव) (@YadavArunesh) March 11, 2024
To sum up, a morphed picture depicting Smriti Irani in a belly dance costume has gone viral on social media. Our fact check revealed that the original picture is from 2012 and was clicked at an event in Turkey. The original picture depicts a different woman, whose face was digitally altered and Smriti Irani’s face was imposed on it.
Abira Das is an intern at Alt News.
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