Photo of man with pellet injuries is from Kashmir, 2016; not linked to farmers’ stir

An image of a man with severe pellet injuries on his face is viral on social media with claims that it is from the ongoing farmers’ protest. Verified account @saraaltafkhan tweeted the viral image and claimed that it was shot at the Shambhu/Khanori border. (Archive)

Modi’s democracy⬇️⬇️. Shambhu/Khanori border. pic.twitter.com/zDxK3GLi16

— Dr. Sara A-Khan (@saraaltafkhan) February 23, 2024

YouTuber Shyam Meera Singh also tweeted the same image in a now-deleted tweet, linking it to the ongoing farmers’ protests. The tweet was reposted by RJ Sayema. Below is a screenshot.

Several other users also tweeted the viral image with the same claim. (Archives- 1, 2)

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Fact Check

Upon a reverse image search of the viral image, we found that the image was available on the stock photography website Alamy. According to the description, the image had been clicked on July 13, 2016. The man seen in the image is Mohammad Imran Parray. He was hit by pellets during a protest and was recovering at a hospital in Srinagar.

The unrest in the Kashmir valley at the time was caused by the assassination of Burhan Wani. Wani was shot on July 8, 2016, which set off a three-month-long deadly unrest in the valley. At least 92 people were reportedly killed and over 12,000 injured in clashes between protesters and security forces. Parray’s image was published by several news outlets at the time representative of the violence that took place.

The New Indian Express published a report titled “Multiple surgeries and decisions later, pellet victims stare at darker future” on September 24, 2016, highlighting the aftermath of unabated use of pellet guns by law enforcement despite the Union ministry of home affairs saying pellet guns would be used in the “rarest of rare” cases. The report contains Parray’s image.

Several other media outlets including The Independent and The Times of India used the image while reporting on the unrest in Kashmir at the time.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

After being called out for sharing misinformation, Shyam Meera Singh deleted his tweet. “This picture is not from the current farmers’ movement. Please do not share this. This picture is from July 2016. In the picture- Mohammad Imran Parray who is from Kashmir,” he said in a tweet.

ये तस्वीर अभी के किसान आंदोलन की नहीं है। कृपया इसे शेयर ना करें। ये तस्वीर जुलाई 2016 की है। तस्वीर में- Mohammad Imran Parray हैं। जो कश्मीर से हैं। चेहरे पर पैलेट गन के निशान हैं। जैसे अभी किसान आंदोलन के दौरान किसानों के शरीर पर मेडिकल जाँच में भी प्रूव हुए। pic.twitter.com/Xc6R4CQgeA

— Shyam Meera Singh (@ShyamMeeraSingh) February 23, 2024

Thus, an old image of a man injured during the 2016 unrest in the Kashmir valley following Burhan Wani’s death is viral on social media with users falsely linking it with the ongoing farmers’ protest.