Protesters Burning National Flag in Pakistan Falsely Claimed as From India

The photo was taken during protests held against Nupur Sharma in Pakistan's Lahore.

A photo, showing a group of people burning an upside-down Indian national flag, is going viral on social media with the claim that Muslims are burning the Indian flag in India.

This comes amid protests across the country on Friday, 10 June, over the remarks made by former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) functionaries Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal against Prophet Muhammad.

However, this photo was taken in Lahore, Pakistan, where supporters of religious groups burned the Indian flag during a protest against Sharma on 9 June 2022.

THE CLAIM

The viral photo is being shared with a claim stating that Muslims in India are burning the Indian national flag over Nupur Sharma's remarks.

Similar posts can be seen here, here, here, and here.

The Quint also received a query on WhatsApp about the same.

WHAT WE FOUND OUT

On conducting a reverse image search of the photo on Google, we came across a report by news agency Associated Press (AP) that had been published on 9 June 2022.

The report titled 'Pakistanis rally to denounce India over remarks about Islam' carried the same image with a caption that mentioned that the photo was taken in Lahore, Pakistan on 9 June 2022.

The protest was about the remarks made by Nupur Sharma against Islam and Prophet Muhammad. The image was credited to AP Photo and KM Chaudary.

Similarities can be noticed between the viral photo and the original photo from AP.

Several news media outlets like Al Jazeera, The Seattle Times, and ABC News also carried the same image.

Al Jazeera reported that Pakistan witnessed protests where several people rallied, urging Muslim countries to cut diplomatic ties with India over the controversial remarks made by the two former BJP functionaries against Prophet Muhammad.

After violent protests broke out in several states across India on 10 June, following the Nupur Sharma controversy, Mumbai Police on 11 June issued a summons to Sharma over her alleged derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad.

Hence, it is clear that the photo was taken in Lahore, Pakistan, during the recent protests against Nupur Sharma.

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