With Delhi in the grip of a public health emergency, a set of photographs has been shared with the claim that these represent devotees offering prayers in the Yamuna river. The visuals depict the intensely polluted condition of the river, filled with toxic foam.
News18 Hindi, in an article published on November 3, published some photographs claiming that they were clicked at Kalindi Kunj in Delhi on the occasion of Chhat puja when women offered their prayers.
The photos were also posted on Twitter. The below tweet by journalist Prashant Kanojia has been retweeted close to 350 times. According to him, the photos are from Kalindi Kunj in the capital, on the occasion of Chhat puja.
दिल्ली के कालिंदी कुंज में छठ पूजा की तस्वीर। ये मौत का दृश्य नहीं तो क्या है? pic.twitter.com/6U5tS4uXCP
— Prashant Kanojia (@PJkanojia) November 3, 2019
The photos have also been shared by users on Facebook.
यह कालिंदी कुंज, दिल्ली का यमुना घाट । कैमिकल ने यमुना नदी को पूरी तरह बर्बाद कर दिया है । और इसी खतरनाक कैेमिकल के बीचे…
Posted by Vijay Kumar Sisodia on Sunday, 3 November 2019
FACT CHECK: OLD PHOTOS
While it is true that chhat puja was observed in the national capital amid the white foam of the polluted Yamuna river, some of the photographs circulated on social media are not recent.
The photograph in question, for instance, was clicked in 2016. Alt News found it in a photo feature published by The Indian Express in November 2016.
Yet another image, which has been published by News18 Hindi as recent, too dates back to November 2016. This is also a part of The Indian Express photo feature.
It may be noted that not all the photos posted on social media are old. Some of the pictures are indeed recent.
Hindu women worship the Sun god in the polluted waters of the river Yamuna during the Hindu religious festival of Chatth Puja in New Delhi, India, November 3, 2019. REUTERS/@adnanabidi pic.twitter.com/0gp7EDiwkO
— Reuters Paris Pix (@ReutersParisPix) November 4, 2019
Old photographs dating back to 2016, showing devotees offering prayers in a polluted Yamuna river, have been shared by social media users as recent. The story was earlier fact-checked by Boom.
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