A digitally altered photo of an elderly man with a turban is being shared falsely claiming that he does not have a moustache and is a Muslim who has disguised himself as a Sikh at the ongoing farmers' protest.
The viral photo shows an elderly man with a turban and a beard but without a moustache. However, BOOM found a video from where the man can be seen with a moustache.
The screenshot is viral in the backdrop of the ongoing farmers' protest which has seen farmers from Punjab and Haryana marching towards Delhi. Thousands of farmers from across Haryana and Punjab have marched with some still on their way towards the national capital to protest against the government's new farm laws.
The photo is being shared with a derogatory caption which when translated reads, "Without a mustache, a chusalman Sardar"
Click here to view, and here for an archive.
(In Hindi - बिना मूछों वाला चूसलमान सरदार)
Click here to view, and here for an archive.
Viral on Facebook
The same edited photo is viral with false claims on Facebook.
Also Read: How A Muslim Man's Photo Was Used To Discredit The Farmers' Protest
FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that the viral image is doctored and in the original footage from where the screen grab is taken, we can see that the elderly Sikh man has a moustache.
We found a comment on one of the Facebook post with the edited photo calling it fake and citing a Facebook live and the same man can be seen with a moustache. The user commented with a link to Facebook page 'Hindustan LIVE Farhan Yahiy' which has a 33 minutes video shot live on November 29, 2020, in which the same man can be seen.
In the video, a man who is interviewing the protesters states that the video is being recorded at Nirankari Maidan in Burari, close to the Singhu border near Delhi where the ongoing farmers protests are happening. He further mentions that along with many Sikhs, people from the Muslim community are also present and that Aam Aadmi Party's Members of Legislative Assembly (MLA's) Amanatullah Khan and Abdul Rahman are there at the spot and identifies them.
At the 7.27 minutes timestamp, we can see the same man with a moustache.
On observing the elderly man in the footage, we can clearly see that he has a moustache and that it has been erased from the viral photo.
BOOM has previously debunked misinformation around the farmers' protests with protesters being targeted with fake news and being misidentified.
Also Read: No, This Is Not 'Hathras Bhabhi' At The Farmers' Protest