Former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt on Tuesday, 21 August, posted a photo of men repairing wires on electricity poles, alleging that the photo was proof why Prime Minister Narendra Modi “viscerally” hates Kerala, which is battling the worst-ever floods to hit the state.
Bhatt alleged that the photo was taken during the relief operations in the state.
Is the Photo From Relief Operations?
Nope, the photo was not taken five days ago, as pointed outby the former police officer.
A simple reverse image search reveals that the photo was published in Kerala-based newspaper Mathrubhumi, in October 2016 – nearly two years ago.
The story was titled, ‘Stop Bothering About Power Cuts, KSEB WIll Tell You When Power Will Be Back.’
Tweeples Point Out the ‘Fake’
Soon after Bhatt tweeted, people on Twitter were quick to point out that he was propagating fake news.
Bhatt Apologises
On Wednesday, 22 August, one day after he posted the photo, Bhatt took to Twitter to apologise for the tweet. However, he maintained that the “underpinning of my argument remains the same”
This is not the first time Bhatt has propogated fake news. Earlier in 2017, he tweeted saying more soldiers were killed post 2014, when the NDA government assumed power.
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