(Trigger Warning: Graphic visuals)
A photo showing a man's face covered with pellet wounds is going viral on social media with a claim that it shows a wounded farmer from Shambu or Khanori border who was injured during the ongoing 2024 farmers' protests.
How did we find out the truth?: On performing a reverse image search on the viral photo, we came across news reports from 2016.
The reports published by The News Indian Express and Times of India carried the same image and stated about the use of pellet guns in the unrest happening in Srinagar, Kashmir, in July 2016.
One of the reports carried a caption that stated that the image shows Mohammad Imran Parray from Srinagar, who got wounded after being hit by pellets.
The image was credited to the news agency Associated Press (AP).
Taking a cue, we looked for the same image from AP's archives and found that the original version was shared on 13 July 2016.
The image's description stated that Parray got hit by pellets during a protest.
It added that this was during a huge protest that happened between 'anti-India' protesters and government troops after government troops killed a top leader of Hizbul Mujahideen, the largest rebel group fighting Indian rule in the troubled Himalayan region.
Conclusion: An old image from Kashmir showing a wounded person is being falsely shared as from the ongoing farmers' protests.
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