China's state backed news outlet - Global Times, tweeted a set of photos and falsely claimed that India illuminated the Qutub Minar in Delhi with the colours of the Russian flag in support of Russia amidst the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The photos are being shared on social media claiming that India has come out in support of Russia after several other countries have condemned Russia and imposed harsh economic sanctions on it for invading Ukraine.
India, which shares diplomatic ties with both Russia and the United States, has not condemned Russia or backed sanctions against the country. India has so far abstained from UN Security Council and General Assembly votes on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. New Delhi has maintained that both sides resolve the conflict through dialogue.
The viral photos were tweeted by Global Times with the caption, "India lit up the Qutb Minar, one of the landmark buildings in New Delhi, with the colors of the Russian flag"
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The tweet has now been deleted at the time of writing this story.
The same set of photos are also being widely shared on Twitter with the false claim.
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FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that the Qutub Minar was illuminated on the occasion of Jan Aushadhi Diwas 2022 and not in support of Russia as is being claimed.Jan Aushadhi Diwas 2022 which was marked from March 1, 2022, to March 7, is an initiative under Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) launched by the central government that aims to make quality generic medicines available at affordable prices for all.
The official Twitter handle of PMBJP tweeted the same set of photos on March 5 with the caption, "Qutub Minar illuminated with Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and Jan Aushadhi theme from 5-7th March 2022."
Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr Mansukh Mandaviya also tweeted the same set of images.
"As part of the #JanaushadhiDiwas2022 celebrations, Qutub Minar is illuminated to spread more awareness about quality generic medicines," Mandaviya wrote.
One of the images also shows the text 'Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana' in Hindi projected on to the Qutub Minar.
PIB FactCheck, the government's fact-checking arm, also tweeted refuting Global Times' tweet that the monument was illuminated in the colours of the Russian flag.
BOOM has been debunked misinformation post the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and posts with false claims being shared.