A disturbing image of a couple and a toddler hanging from a tree in Nagpur has resurfaced with claims that it is from Surat where a migrant family committed suicide. The image is viral in the backdrop of the current lockdown to contain the transmission of COVID-19.
Thousands of migrants from states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha, who work in factories in Surat, are currently stuck in the Pandol industrial area due to the coronavirus lockdown.
The image has been shared on Facebook with claims that the deceased family was walking back to their native place from Surat when they killed themselves because of hunger.
The posts have been captioned as, "They were coming from Surat on foot. When they could not tolerate hunger, they decided to commit suicide. Media if you are done with telecasting news about Markaz Nizamuddin, then do give them some air time."
(Original text in Hindi: सुरत से आ रहें थे पैदल भुख बरदाश्त नहीं हुई तो सुसाइड कर ली. कोरोना मिडिया अगर मरकज़ निजामुद्दीन से फुरसत मिल गई हो तो जरा अपनी न्युज में उसको जगह दे)
The photo is viral with another similar narrative that links it to the ongoing lockdown. The captions read, ''What do you want to do by lighting candle? Respected PM Modi Ji think about these poor daily wagers at times. They have committed suicide due to lack of food because of the Corona lockdown. What was the fault of these innocents?"
(Original text in Hindi: दीप- मोमबत्ती- जला कर आप क्या करना चाहते हो ? कभी देश इन गरीब मजदूर के बारे मे भी सोच लिया किजीये माननीय प्रधान मंत्री मोदी जी। जो कोरोना lockdown में भुखमरी से आत्म हत्या कर रहें है? इस मासूम की गलती क्या ?) Thousands of migrant labourers began walking back home from several parts of the country after the government announced a complete lockdown and restrained commute by transport on March 24.
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BOOM has chosen not to include the posts in the article as it is graphic in nature. One such tweet is archived here. Click here for an archive of the Facebook post.
The photo has been shared widely on Facebook.
Congress leader Alka Lamba also tweeted the image with the same narrative.
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Fact Check
BOOM ran a reverse search and found that the photo is originally of a suicide that took place in Maharashtra in 2018.
Upon relevant keyword search, we found an article published on June 13, 2018 by Nagpur Today which featured the same image. According to the report, the incident happened in Maharashra's Wardha, where a family of three committed suicide due to financial problems. The deceased were identified as Anil Wankhede, his wife Swati and their daughter Swati. According to preliminary investigation, the family killed themselves for unable to repay loans. Below is a screenshot of the article.