2018 Photo Falsely Shared As Banner At Farmers' Protest

A two year old photo of a banner in Hindi from a Kisan Mukti March in Delhi in 2018 has been revived online and is being falsely linked to the ongoing farmers' protest.

The banner in the viral image reads: 'Not Modi, Yogi or Jai Shri Ram...The nation will be ruled by labourers and farmers'
(Translated from Hindi: न मोदी, न योगी, न जय श्री राम / देश पे राज करेगा तो मज़दूर किसान!!).

With the ongoing farmers' protests against the new farm bills continuing on December 2, 2020 the image has gone viral to delegitimise the protests by claiming it is anti-Hindu and not organised by actual farmers.

BOOM found that the image is from the Kisan Mukti March which was held on November 29 and November 30, 2018. Purushottam Sharma, National Secretary of the All India Kisan Mahasabha, one of the organisers of the march confirmed to BOOM that the banner was made for the 2018 march.

The caption being shared with the image states that no farmer or labourer in India can be against Ram. (Hindi caption: मोदी, योगी तो ठीक है पर राम का विरोधी मजदूर और किसान भारत का तो हो नहीं सकता।)

Also Read: 2018 Pic From Farmers' March In Maharashtra Viral As Recent

The claim has been shared by hundreds of times on Facebook and Twitter.

The archive of the tweet can be accessed here.

The archive of the tweet can be accessed here.

The archive of the post can be accessed here.

The archive of the post can be accessed here.

Also Read: I Am Right Here If They Want To See My Injuries: Lathi-Charged Farmer

Fact Check

BOOM ran a keyword search on Facebook with the words "न मोदी, न योगी, न जय श्री राम" and found another picture of the banner.

The banner also featured the acronym of the All India Kisan Mahasabha - AIKM on it. AIKM can also be seen on another placard held by a protestor.

We searched the AIKM's Facebook page and found two photos from 2018. One photo, dated December 4, 2018, showed the same banner shot from another angle.

Another photo uploaded on November 28, 2018 shows two banners lying on the floor. The banner from the viral photo is partly visible and the words "श्रीराम" and "AIKM" can be seen.

Archives of the posts can be accessed here and here respectively.

BOOM contacted Purushottam Sharma, National Secretary of the All India Kisan Mahasabha who said that the photos were taken during the November 29-30, 2018 Kisan Mukti March in New Delhi.

The Kisan Mukti March was organised by the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee on November 29-30. Farmers from across the country marched to New Delhi demanding a special session of the Parliament be held to solve the agrarian crisis.

Also Read: Farmers' Protest: 2018 Video Of Nihang Sikhs' Rally Viral As Recent