As leaders from across party lines gathered in New Delhi on Friday, 15 February, to pay their respects to the Pulwama martyrs, photos from the tribute ceremony are viral on social media.
CLAIM
A photo of PM Modi shows him facing the camera with his hands folded, juxtaposed against a photo of Gandhi standing with his hands folded facing the coffins.
The photos, shared on Twitter by one Sumit Kashyap, had over 2.9k likes and over 900 shares at the time of writing this article.
TRUE OR FALSE?
The photo, while true, has been taken out of context. The prime minister was not posing for the cameras, but was paying his tribute to the martyrs' by walking around them in prayer, as seen in the following video.
In the video, at 1 hour and 14 minutes into the clip, PM Modi can be seen walking around the 40 coffins draped in tricolour, with his hands folded and head bowed.
A photo clicked at this point has been taken out of context to further a false narrative.
Dressed in white with a dark-coloured shawl, the prime minister arrived in the hanger and went straight to the podium where the coffins were kept.
He stood in silence for a few moments, before taking a round of the coffins.
LEADERS GATHER TO PAY LAST RESPECTS TO SLAIN CRPF JAWANS
The bodies of the slain troopers reached Delhi's Palam air force area in a special Indian Air Force (IAF) plane in the evening. The bodies were received by Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
Decorated with white floral arrangements, 40 coffins wrapped in tricolour were neatly arranged in the hanger, where senior officials of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) laid wreaths one by one in a solemn ceremony, officials said.
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