An image showing a person’s face covered with pellet wounds is circulating on social media with the claim that it depicts a wounded farmer injured during the ongoing 2024 farmers’ protests. This article aims to fact-check the claim.
Claim: Face of a wounded farmer from the ongoing 2024 farmers’ protest.
Fact: This viral image, dating back to 2016 is from Srinagar, Kashmir, and has no connection with the recent farmers’ protest. According to news reports, the image depicts Mohammad Imran Parray, who was wounded by pellets during a protest in Kashmir in July 2016. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
To verify the authenticity of the viral claim, we conducted a reverse image search on the internet, leading to reports from The New Indian Express and Times of India in 2016. These reports featured the same image. According to these reports, the viral picture depicts Mohammad Imran Parray, who was wounded after being hit by pellets during a protest in Kashmir in July 2016. The image was credited to the news agency Associated Press (AP).
To gather more information about the viral image and incident, we conducted a relevant keyword search on the internet. This led us to a news report by India Times published on 14 July 2016, which covered the viral picture. According to the report, after the death of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani in July 2016, violent demonstrations and stone-pelting erupted in Kashmir. To control the situation, the police used pellet guns, resulting in injuries to many individuals.
Subsequently, we also found the viral photo on the Alamy stock-image website and the Associated Press website. According to information available on these websites, the viral photo was taken by photographer Dar Yasin during a clash between police and protestors in Srinagar on 13 July 2016. The image’s description states that Parray was hit by pellets during a protest. Additionally, it mentions that the violence erupted after government troops killed a top leader of Hizbul Mujahideen. Based on this information, it is evident that the viral image depicts Mohammad Imran Parray, who was wounded after being hit by pellets during a protest in Kashmir in July 2016.
To sum it up, a photo of a person injured during a protest in Kashmir in 2016 is falsely linked to the ongoing farmers’ protest in 2024.
