Old image from Agra shared as Budaun cop carrying dead body on shoulders

A photograph of a policeman carrying a corpse on his shoulders has been shared by Congress MLA Aradhana Misra-Mona with the claim, “Family abandons the dead and a Badayun cop taking the body on his shoulders. The policeman should be felicitated. But where are the ambulances and hearse vans that the state govt claims are in abundance? BJP Has Robbed #DignityToTheDead. Sad and Shameful.”

Family abandons the dead and a Badayun cop taking the body on his shoulders. The policeman should be felicitated. But where are the ambulances and hearse vans that the state govt claims are in abundance. BJP Has Robbed #DignityToTheDead. Sad and Shameful. pic.twitter.com/Y6blQXPx8q

— Aradhana Misra-Mona (@aradhanam7000) May 16, 2021

Misra has also shared the image on Facebook.

Several other users have claimed that the photograph was taken in Budaun, Uttar Pradesh.

ए भाई SI प्रशांत कुमार सिंह बदायूं किस मिट्टी के बने हो? जब आपदा अवसर बन गई हो सबके अपने मुनाफे के एजेंडे हों तुम किस दुनिया से आए हो यार..🙏 सलाम करता हूं आपको @budaunpolice@Uppolice @adgzonelucknow pic.twitter.com/adoTVGk3WL

— Tarun Jhanjher (@TarunJhanjher) May 16, 2021

The photograph is widespread on Facebook.

Fact-check

Budaun police shared a screenshot of Misra’s post and wrote that no such incident has taken place in the district. Furthermore, the policeman is wearing a winter uniform which suggests that the image is old.

जनपद बदायूं मे इस प्रकार की कोई घटना प्रकाश मे नही आई है, फोटो मे दर्शाये गये पुलिसकर्मी ने शीतकालीन वर्दी पहनी है, यह फोटो कई माह पुरानी है।
अतः इस घटना को वर्तमान समय का बताकर कृपया भ्रामक ट्वीट न करें। इस घटना का जनपद बदायूं से कोई संबंध नही है।@Uppolice @adgzonebareilly https://t.co/Bd62HpsSxI pic.twitter.com/JWt71BqYCl

— Budaun Police (@budaunpolice) May 16, 2021

A subsequent keyword search revealed that the photograph is at least 11 months old.

One Sachin Kaushik wrote on Twitter, “The pictures claimed to be from Budaun are from Fatehpur Sikri, a police station in Agra and they were shot last winter.” He further said that SI Prashant was carrying the dead body to the car that would transport the corpse to the mortuary. In another tweet, he wrote that the car could not reach the spot and was parked 200-250 meters away. Sachin Kaushik identifies as a policeman from Uttar Pradesh.

#Fact

जिन तस्वीरों को बदायूँ का बताया जा रहा है,वो आगरा के थाना फतेहपुर सीकरी की हैं और पिछले वर्ष सर्दियों की हैं।
ये तस्वीरें #COVID19 की भी नहीं बल्कि उससे पूर्व की हैं।SI प्रशांत व का०अमन शव को मोर्चरी ले जाने के लिए गाड़ी तक कंधे पर लाए थे न कि अंतिम संस्कार के लिए।#Salute pic.twitter.com/Pe96DHULge

— SACHIN KAUSHIK (@upcopsachin) May 16, 2021

A person shared a newspaper clipping in a reply to Kaushik’s tweet. It carries the image currently viral. According to the report, the policeman in the picture is Prashant Singh, SI of Fatehpur Sikri in Agra. He had received information about a dead body found in a pond in Korai village. The cop picked up the corpse on his shoulders to take the unidentified body to the morgue because a vehicle could not be arranged in the area.

We contacted SI Singh who is currently posted as a sub-inspector at Etmaduddaula police station in Agra. He confirmed that the image has nothing to do with COVID and also sent a video of the incident.

SI Singh could not recall when the incident took place however, confirmed that it was last year. The oldest instance of the photograph that we were able to trace on social media dates back to April 2020.

An old photograph was thus shared with the false claim that a policeman carried a dead body of a person who recently died due to the pandemic.