A set of photos showing massive crowds are going viral on social media, claimed as visuals of rallies taken out in support of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, or scenes from the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance’s (INDIA) Loktantra Bachao rally at New Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, held on 31 March 2024.
The posts: One X user shared these visuals to mock rallies by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporters, who are protesting Kejriwal’s arrest.
Other users reshared these images, amplifying the claim.
Social media users also shared this photo, claiming that it shows massive attendance at the Loktantra Bachao rally.
(Archives of more social media posts sharing these claims can be seen here, here, here, here, here, and here.)
But…?: None of these images are recent or related to AAP or the INDIA bloc.
How did we find out?: We ran a reverse image search on all three photos, and found that none of them were recent or related to the INDIA bloc or the AAP.
Photo One
A reverse image search using Google Lens on this photo led us to a photo story by The Atlantic dated 21 December 2022.
The article, which carried photos of celebration in Argentina, mentioned that they showed the country’s national football team riding in an open air bus in Buenos Aires, after winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The same photos were also found in reports by American public radio NPR‘s website and Associated Press.
Photo Two
Following the same steps, we carried out a reverse image search on this photo, too.
- An article published by the Voice of America on 13 December 2022 carried this photograph, showing Argentinians celebrating their national team.
- Crediting the report and the image to the Associated Press, this photo’s caption mentioned that it was taken after Argentina’s win over Croatia at the Obelisco in Buenos Aires.
A similar photograph was shared by VOA.
(Source: Voice of America/Screenshot)
Stock image website Alamy also had the same photograph, which also carried the same information.
Alamy, too, carried this photo.
(Source: Alamy/Screenshot)
Geolocating the Obelisco in Buenos Aires with Google Maps showed us the same white structure, with the words ‘Capital Federal’ written on it.
Photo Three
This photo of a massive crowd attending an event was falsely linked to the INDIA bloc’s Loktantra Bachao rally at New Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, on 31 March.
However, it dates back to February 2019 and shows a Left Front rally at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata, West Bengal.
The Quint had debunked a false claim surrounding this photograph before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, when it had gone viral as a photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally.
- It was shared in a report by People’s Dispatch on 4 February 2019, which said that over ten lakh people had gathered in rally led by the Left Front brigade on 3 February.
- Stock image website Alamy also carried the same photo.
Conclusion: Old, unrelated images showing large gatherings of people are being falsely linked to AAP and INDIA bloc rallies ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
This story was originally published by The Quint, as part of the Shakti Collective. Except for the headline, excerpt and introduction para, this story has not been edited by ThePrint staff.