Fact Check: Old Photo Of BJP Protest Digitally Altered And Falsely Linked To India-Canada Row

New Delhi: Amid a diplomatic standoff between India and Canada over separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar's killing, a photo was widely shared on social media claiming that BJP supporters held a protest outside a Canara Bank, mistaking it to be a Canadian bank.

The PTI Fact Check Desk in its investigation found that it was an old, digitally altered picture from Ooty that showed BJP supporters protesting against civic authorities in connection to the removal of a pillar erected by the party.

A user posted the altered photo with a false claim on October 20 on Facebook. He wrote, "Look at the mind of blind devotees, they started protesting in front of Canara Bank, mistaking it to be a Canadian bank." To verify the claim, the desk reverse searched the viral photo and found that the original picture was carried in an article on a website named ‘Maalaimalar’.

The report published on August 30, 2020, said that the picture was from Ooty in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiri district. It said the protest took place after the civic authority in Ooty removed a pillar erected by BJP workers to hoist a flag. BJP supporters had demonstrated against the municipal corporation at the time.

However, the original photo did not show a Canara Bank hoarding as was seen in the viral image. Rather, a Xiaomi store could be seen at the place the desk was found.

The desk compared the viral image with the original photo and came to the conclusion that the latter was digitally altered and a hoarding of Canara Bank was added to it.

Ties between New Delhi and Ottawa have come under severe strain over the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada last year. Last week, New Delhi expelled Canadian Charge d'Affaires Stewart Wheeler and five other diplomats following Ottawa's fresh allegations of the Indian government's involvement in Nijjar's killing in British Columbia.

India has also recalled its high commissioner and five more diplomats, with the Canadian government saying that the Indian diplomats were expelled.