Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam
A set of images of a retired Captain of the Sikh Regiment and of an injured farmer have gone viral with the false claim that they are the same man, and the retired Captain was hit while protesting alongside the farmers in the ongoing ‘Dilli Chalo’ march.
The Quint spoke to Sukhwinder Singh, son of Captain (retd) Prithipal Singh Dhillon, the army officer in the viral image, who confirmed that his father was not the same man as the injured farmer and that he was not participating in the protests.
CLAIM
The two images were shared with each other to suggest that both the men are same. Several users shared it with the caption,
“दोनों तस्वीरें एक ही इंसान की हैं ...सीमा के रक्षक की भी और रिटायर होने के बाद किसानों के साथ किसान होकर हक़ के लिए सड़क पर उतरने वाले की भी। डी पी एस ढिल्लों साहेब हैं ये। ITcell वालों के लिए ये खालिस्तानी हैं।”
(Translation: “Both pictures are of the same person - the protector of the border and after retirement, the one fighting on the roads as a farmer, alongside other farmers for their rights. This is DPS Dhillon Saheb. He is Khalistani for IT cell.”)
WHAT WE FOUND OUT
A keyword search of Captain PPS Dhillon, the words written on the cake in the viral image led us to the original image, uploaded by Sukhwinder Singh on a Facebook group called, ‘Sikh Military History Forum,’ stating that the image was from his father “Hon. Captain Prithipal Singh Dhillon’s birthday, who had retired in 1993 from the 17th Sikh Regiment.”
He had also uploaded a picture of himself with his father, on his personal profile on 29 November.
The Quint reached out to Sukhwinder Singh who confirmed that the two men in the images were not the same and that his father is not participating in the ongoing farmer protests.
“I had uploaded the photo on the ‘Sikh Military History Forum’ from where some miscreant has picked up the picture to make these false posts. My father is at home and hasn’t been injured.”Sukhwinder Singh, Captain Prithipal Singh Dhillon’s son
WHAT ABOUT THE PICTURE OF THE INJURED FARMER?
The viral image of the injured farmer with a bandaged eye has been circulating on social media since the same day, that is, 29 November. Hence, they cannot be the same man.
The Quint has not independently verified the identity of the injured farmer in the viral posts.
However, the image was shared by agricultural activist Ramandeep Singh Mann, who told The Quint that the man hasn’t been identified yet.
Evidently, Retired Captain Prithipal Singh Dhillon has been falsely identified as an injured farmer in the ongoing protests against the farm laws.
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