A two-year-old photo from Uttar Pradesh is being shared with a false claim that Muslims in Tamil Nadu are flouting lockdown rules during Ramzan to offer night prayers. The picture that shows a large crowd of Muslim men praying is from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh from 2018, before the lockdown was implemented in March 2020, following a novel Coronavirus outbreak in India.
The Union government has extended the nationwide lockdown in country till May 17, 2020 with eased restrictions in several areas.The government on May 1, issued new guidelines to regulate different activities in the third phase of lockdown, based on the risk profiling of the districts of the country into Red (hotspot), Green and Orange Zones.
The viral image is being shared with the caption in Tamil which translates to, "For the past two days at the Jama masjid street in Vellore District, Tirupattur Town, around 700 people are praying in the middle of the road at midnight. The police are under the command of the elite and the guards at night are clapping their hands, obeying the orders of a high-ranking official not to take photos or video on their phones. Sent from a friend of a policeman involved."
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(In Tamil - வேலூர் மாவட்டம் திருப்பத்தூர் டவுனில் , ஜூம்மா மசூதி தெருவில் கடந்த இரண்டு நாட்களாக , | நள்ளிரவு 1 மணிக்கு நடு ரோட்டிலேயே சுமார் 700நபர்கள் தொழுகையில் ஈடுபட்டு வருகின்றனர் . காவல்துறையினர் உயரதிகாரிகளின் உத்திரவிற்கு கட்டுப்பட்டு , அவர்களுக்கு எந்த தொந்திரவும் ! ! ? மற்றும் அங்கு இரவு பணியில் இருக்கும் காவலர்கள் எவரும் தமது தொலைபேசியில் புகைப்படமோ அல்லது வீடியோவை எடுக்கக்கூடாது 8 என்ற உயர் அதிகாரியின் உத்தரவுக்கு கட்டுப்பட்டு கையை பிசைந்து நிற்கின்றனர் . . . சம்மந்தப்பட்ட காவல்துறையை சேர்ந்த நண்பர் ஒருவரின் மனக்குமுறல் . . .)
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FACT-CHECK
The viral image, has ''Alamy stock photo' written in the left hand corner, showing that it is a screenshot from the stock photography agency - Alamy. We searched on Alamy's website and found that the photograph is old and unrelated to the lockdown due to COVID-19 cases in the country.
The description on Alamy states that the photograph is from May 17, 2018. The caption states the picture was clicked in Prayagraj, then Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, during the month of Ramadan.
View screenshot of original photo below:
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We also found a tweet by Tirupattur district police, debunking the false claim and denying that the photo is from Tamil Nadu. The district police also informed that an FIR had been registered against those who shared it.
Tamil Nadu has reported 2526 positive COVID-19 cases and 28 deaths while writing this article. Follow BOOM's LIVE blog for recent updates: Coronavirus LIVE Update: India's Cases Rise To 37,336 Deaths To 1218