Image of Woman From Bihar Misidentified as Rinku Sharma’s Mother

The image shows the mother of Anurag Poddar, who was reportedly killed during firing in Bihar’s Munger in October.

An image of a woman clutching the body of her son has gone viral amid social media outrage over the murder of a 25-year-old man, identified as Rinku Sharma, who was stabbed to death in Mangolpuri on 10 February.

The image however, dates back to October 2020, and shows the mother of Anurag Poddar, who was reportedly killed during firing in Bihar’s Munger, amid a clash with the police over delay in the immersion of the Durga idol.

CLAIM

Several users shared the image of the distressed mother with the hashtag, ‘JusticeForRinkuSharma.’

WHAT WE FOUND OUT

(Note: The images in the links below are graphic. Viewer’s discretion is advised.)

On a reverse image search we came across social media posts dated 27 October 2020, which stated that it showed the mother of Anurag Poddar who was killed in Munger, Bihar.

The image can also be seen in news reports of Zee News and local Hindi daily, First Bihar.

We also found a report on Hindi daily, Dainik Jagran, carrying an image of Poddar’s mother from a different angle, who can be seen in the same attire as the viral image.

Similar visuals can also be seen in a news report by News18 Hindi.

Poddar was reportedly killed after police allegedly opened fire amid a clash over a delay in Durga Puja immersion in Bihar’s Munger on 26 October. Around 30 people were also injured.

The police had also claimed that they were compelled to fire in the air, in a bid to disperse the mob, which retaliated with counter-firing.

While one of the images in the collage is of Sharma’s mother, which can also be seen in a report by Dainik Jagran, the other image is not related to the incident and is old.

Delhi Police has repeatedly refuted allegations of a communal motive behind the murder, however, right-wing groups continue to claim that Sharma was killed for collecting donations for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

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