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Image Credit: Twitter/Ashok Palod, PM Modi/Wikipedia
Viral Image Showing PM Modi Shaved Head After His Mother's Demise Is Morphed
India, 3 Jan 2023 10:02 AM GMT
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A Twitter user shared the viral image with a Hindi caption, the English translation of which reads, "PM Modi performed all the rituals with simplicity. According to our society's customs, her mother's last rites were performed yesterday, and Mundan, i.e., Panidham, was also performed today."
On December 30, Prime Minister Modi's mother, Heeraben Modi, passed away at the age of 99. Following her demise, a picture of PM Modi is viral on social media, in which he can be seen with a bald head and clean shave. Sharing this image, people on social media claimed that PM Modi shaved his head after his mother's demise, following the Hindu rituals.
According to Hindu tradition, male family members of the deceased are expected to shave their heads during the period of mourning, also known as "Shraadh". The purification ceremony is a way to show respect for the deceased and to let go of one's ego.
A Twitter user shared this image and wrote a caption in Hindi which reads, "पीएम मोदी ने सभी रस्में निभाई सादगी से। अपने समाज के रीति-रिवाजों के अनुसार ही कल माताश्री का अंतिम संस्कार एवं आज मुंडन यानी पानीधाम भी किया."
[English Translation: PM Modi performed all the rituals with simplicity. According to our society's customs, her mother's last rites were performed yesterday, and Mundan, i.e., Panidham, was also performed today.]
It is being widely shared on Facebook and Twitter with a similar caption.
Claim:
PM Modi shaved his head after her mother Heeraben's demise.
Fact Check:
The Logical Indian Fact-Check team verified the viral claim and found it false. The viral image is morphed.
During the initial investigation, we did a google keyword search and found a video tweeted by PMO India dated January 3, 2023, in which he can be seen addressing 108th Indian Science Congress. In the video PM, Modi can be seen in his normal beard and hair, and it clearly suggests that the viral image is morphed.
We then did a reverse image search and found a similar image in a report of The New Indian Express dated May 04, 2018. However, in this image, PM Modi can be seen in his normal beard and hair. The same image can also be seen in a report of Zee Business.
We then compared the viral image with the image published in the New Indian Express report and found that his beard and hair had been digitally erased using photoshop tools. In both photos, the jacket is similar; the shawl has been placed on the left shoulder, left eye is on edge. Below you can see the side-by-side comparison of the original and viral images.
On searching for the original source, we found a similar image in a report by Reuters dated December 21, 2017. According to it, the photo was taken on the first day of the parliament's winter session when PM Modi interacted with the media inside the parliament house premises. The image's caption reads, "India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks to the media inside the parliament house premises on the first day of the winter session in New Delhi, India, December 15, 2017. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi." The same image can also be seen on the stock image website Alamy.
It is evident from our investigation that the viral image is morphed. The original picture was taken on December 15, 2017, at Parliament House, where PM Modi can be seen in his usual beard and hair. Hence, the viral claim is false.
If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343
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