Viral Banner Claiming 'We Don't Want Kashmir, Give Us Virat Kohli' Is Fake
BOOM found that the banner in the original photo reads, "We Want Azaadi", and is from a protest in Kashmir in 2016.
Claim
A morphed photo of a group of people holding Pakistan flags and a large banner which reads 'We don't want Kashmir, give us Virat Kohli' is doing rounds on social media platforms with a false claim that the Pakistani fans are demanding the Indian batter for their cricket team. The picture has been revived after Kohli played a match-winning knock in a T20 Cricket World Cup group stage match against their country on October 23, 2022. The image is being shared with a caption, "Yeh mangane ki aadat! Kuch bhi nahi milega". BOOM also received the same image on its WhatsApp tipline number (7700906588) for verification.
Fact
BOOM found the image is digitally manipulated and it does not show Pakistani cricket fans who are demanding the Indian batter Virat Kohli for their cricket team. A reverse image search on the widely circulated photo led us to the original picture published on a India Today article on August 8, 2016. The original image, in the report, shows 'We want Azaadi' written on the banner. The report mentioned the picture to be from a protest happened in Kashmir at that time. BOOM had debunked the same viral photo in 2019 when it went viral with a similar false claim.
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