2019 Picture Of Arvind Kejriwal Without Mask Peddled With Fake Claim

An old picture showing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal adjusting a mask on the face of a youngster is viral with false captions claiming that while the CM is advising others to wear mask in the pandemic times, he isn't wearing one himself. Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and another person seen in the picture are also not wearing masks.

BOOM found that the viral picture is from November 2019 and not related to the Coronavirus pandemic.

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The image shows Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia and another unidentified person standing on a dais along with a boy. While Kejriwal is adjusting a mask over the boy's face, others are watching him. No one apart from the boy is wearing a mask.

The picture has been shared on Bharatiya Janata Party's Delhi unit spokesperson Virender Babbar's Facebook page with a Hindi caption translating to 'You are helping the child wear a mask but where is yours and Mr Sisodia's mask? What all do you do for a photoshoot, Arvind Kejriwal. That's why we say advertisement waala'.

(बच्चे को तो मास्क पहना रहे हो लेकिन ख़ुद का और अपने Manish Sisodia जी का मास्क कहा है। फ़ोटो शूट के लिए क्या क्या करते हो Arvind Kejriwal जी। तभी तो हम कहते है विज्ञापन वाला ।)

The picture has been tweeted by BJP Delhi spokesperson Harish Khurana with the same caption.

The image has been shared with similar captions from several Facebook pages.

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Fact Check

BOOM did a reverse image search and found an India Today article published on November 1, 2019 carrying the same image.

The caption with the picture that has been attributed to agency Press Trust of India reads 'Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia distributed pollution masks among school students at a Delhi school on Friday'.

Another article published in The Print on November 1, 2019, and carrying the same image states that the Delhi CM had distributed masks among school students as part of a state government initiative to protect them from pollution. The Print's report stated 'The Delhi government has procured 50 lakh N95 masks for distribution among children in private and government schools'.

The reports mention that Kejriwal had hit out at opposition parties in the midst of severe air pollution in the national capital. The CM had blamed stubble burning in neighboring states of Punjab and Haryana for the severe air pollution that had taken Delhi in its grip back then. India reported its first Coronavirus case on January 30, 2020.

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It may be noted that the air quality index of Delhi had entered the 'severe plus' category around that time of the year.