Old, Unrelated Image Shared As AIIMS Doctors Paying Respects To Sitaram Yechury

This image is from China and dates back to 2016.

Fact-Check: Old, unrelated image shared to falsely claim that it shows AIIMS doctors paying their respects to Sitaram Yechury.

(Source: The Quint) 

Following the demise of Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI (M)) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, an image went viral with the claim that the doctors at the All India Institute Of Medical Sciences, Delhi paid respects by bowing down.

• Yechury's body was donated to the institute for organ donation.

An archive of the post can be found here. 

(Source: X/Screenshot)

This post gathered 42.9K views at the time of writing this story. (Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

Is this true?: The claim is false.

• The viral image is from 2016 and shows Chinese doctors honouring a deceased colleague who also donated his organs after passing away from a brain aneurysm.

What we found: We conducted a reverse image search and came across the full version of the viral photo from a China Global Television Network (CGTN) report in Beijing on 30 September 2016 titled "Chinese doctor dies while volunteering in Tibet, donates his organs."

• The report stated that Zhao Ju, a 41-year-old physician volunteering in Shannan, Tibet Autonomous Region along with a team of doctors, died due to a brain aneurysm.

• The physician's family honoured his final wishes and generously gave his kidneys, liver, and corneas for donation.

• Other doctors were seen bowing deeply to pay their respects to Ju at a hospital in Hefei City, Anhui Province.

Zhao received respects from his fellow community.

(Source: CGTN/Screenshot) 

• A website named ECSN also covered this story in 2016.

• TheNewsMinute's journalist Korah Abraham took to his X account and quote posted the claim (now deleted) debunking the claim. He also noted that the image was an old one from China.

An archive of the post can be found here. 

(Source: X/Screenshot) 

Conclusion: An old and unrelated image of doctors is being shared to falsely claim that AIIMS medical personnel bowed down to Yechury to pay their respects.

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