This Fake Anti-Modi Image Has Been Shared Over 10K Times On Facebook

A doctored image of two men holding an anti-Modi poster, shared by Facebook page 'BJP Bhagao Desh Bachao' (Drive out the BJP to save the nation), has gained traction on the social media platform.

The photo, which purports to show a poster calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a thief, was originally shared on September 23, 2018. It has already been shared over 10,000 times on Facebook.

Closer inspection of the image also reveals inconsistencies in the image colour and quality, where parts on the side are pixelated, while the poster is much clearer, an indication of image doctoring.

The picture is a doctored image of two men holding a poster showing solidarity with the victim of the horrific 2012 gang rape in New Delhi.

The image was shot on September 13, 2013 in New Delhi on the day a special fast track court handed out death sentences to four men convicted of raping a 23-year-old student on a moving bus the previous year. (Click here and here to view the original photo)

The page 'BJP Bhagao Desh Bachao', which has close to 1,30,000 followers, has shown a pattern of posting anti-BJP and anti-Modi posts.

For instance, the following post on the page is a doctored image from a student protest in Amritsar in 2012. The image has been edited to add text in Hindi that translates as 'the nation's watchman is a thief.'

Click here to view the original photo on Getty Images' website.

The profile photo of the page itself is a manipulated image of Indian cricketer Virat Kohli holding up an anti-BJP poster.

The original photo is from Kohli’s social media, where he is seen posing with an award given by the social media company Instagram in March 2018.