Fact check: Edited photo of Sonia Gandhi with false claim on the Internet

New Delhi (Vishvas News). A controversial picture of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi is going viral on social media. It shows her sitting in an inappropriate position next to a person.

Vishvas News investigated the viral post and found it to be fake. The investigation revealed that the image was created using editing tools, had no basis in reality and was aimed at damaging Sonia Gandhi's reputation.

What goes viral?

On August 9, 2024, Facebook user Shiv Verma shared this picture with offensive comments.

The accompanying text to the viral post has been quoted here verbatim. Other users also share it and believe it to be true. The archive link to the viral post can be viewed here.

Investigation

To verify the authenticity of the viral photo of Sonia Gandhi, Vishwas News first used Google Lens. Our investigation led us to the original photo on Getty Images. In the original image, it is clearly visible that the viral photo has been altered.

The caption to the original photo on the Getty Images website states that on March 29, 2005, the then President of Maldives, Abdul Gayoom, visited India and met with Congress President Sonia Gandhi. The photo taken by Prakash Singh shows this meeting. You can view the original photo here.

Vishvas News has also investigated the viral image earlier.

During the previous investigation, Vishvas News contacted Congress spokesperson Akhilesh Pratap Singh who confirmed that the picture was fake and objectionable. He stated that such acts are committed by the troll army people who are scared of the Gandhi family.

To conclude our investigation, we examined the profile of the user Shiv Verma who had shared the fake picture of Sonia Gandhi. We found that he lives in Hoshiarpur and has over 5,000 followers.

Vishvas News has confirmed that the viral picture of Sonia Gandhi is fake and has been manipulated using editing tools. The original photo from a meeting between Maldivian Abdul Gayoom and Sonia Gandhi in 2005 has been distorted to create a misleading image.

• Verification of the claim: Picture of Sonia Gandhi sitting on a man's lap
• Claimed by: Facebook users
• Fact check: INCORRECT

INCORRECT

Symbols that define the character of fake news

Find out the truth! If you have any doubts about any information or rumor, let us know!

You have the right to know the truth. If you believe that any information is dubious and could have an impact on society or nation, send it to us through any of the sources below.

Contribute to Vishwas News

Fact-checking journalism that holds up a mirror to power while being free from the shackles of corporations and politics is only possible with the support of the public. Help us in the fight against fake news.

Tags