Several celebrity accounts from India shared unverified images, such as those from Lakshadweep, after the Maldives suspended three ministers for making derogatory comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India.
@KirenRijiju tweeted few pictures and claimed it to be from Lakshadweep. Several hastags related to travelling and Lakshadweep were also used in the twitter post. The tweet was made on Jan 8, 2024.
The second misleading tweet was from the famous former Indian Cricketer Virender Sehwag (“@virendersehwag“), who tweeted “Whether it be the beautiful beaches of Udupi , Paradise Beach in Pondi, Neil and Havelock in Andaman, and many other beautiful beaches throughout our country, there are so many unexplored places in Bharat which have so much potential with some infrastructure support. Bharat is knowing for converting all Aapda into Avsar, and this dig at our country and our Prime Minister by Maldives ministers is a great Avsar for Bharat to create just the necessary infrastructure to make them attractive to tourists and boost our economy. Please do name your favourite unexplored beautiful places.” on Jan 7, 2024.
Whether it be the beautiful beaches of Udupi , Paradise Beach in Pondi, Neil and Havelock in Andaman, and many other beautiful beaches throughout our country, there are so many unexplored places in Bharat which have so much potential with some infrastructure support. Bharat is… pic.twitter.com/w8EheuIEUD
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) January 7, 2024
The third misleading tweet was made by the popular Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh (“@RanveerOfficial”) shared the picture in the twitter post and claimed that it is a picture of the Indian Island.
What is the Actual Truth About these Pictures? : Fact
Actually, the pictures are of beaches featuring kayaking and islands, which have been shared in the first misleading post. It has nothing to do with the Lakshadweep, India. We found out that Kiren Rijiju shared some old photos from the Maldives showing snorkelling and kayaking. The original picture was uploaded here with the headline “Canoe On Blue Lagoon In Maldives Tropical Island Sea-Beach Fishing Diving In Water Spa and Relaxation”. Another picture which was also shared by Kiren Rijiju was uploaded here with the description ” Man swimming in a tropical lagoon in front of exotic island”.
The second misleading post, was shared by Virendra Sehwag. The former Indian cricket player actually shared a photo, which is originally from French Polynesia’s Bora Bora. It is also not from Lakshadweep, India. The photo can be seen uploaded in Tumblr, which is from Bora Bora, French Polynesia.
For the post made by Ranveer Singh, we have discovered that Maalhos, Hibalhidhoo, and Dharavandhoo islands in Baa Atoll, Maldives, are visible in the picture of the islands that Ranveer Singh shared. It is not related to Lakshadweep, India.
asad.photo posted the original photo on Instagram on April 14, 2016.
The description of the place MAALHOS (BAA) is posted on maldivesvirtualtour website.
D-Intent’s Fact-Checking Results:
1512
— D-Intent Data (@dintentdata) January 8, 2024
ANALYSIS: Misleading
FACT: When #Maldives suspended 3 ministers over derogatory remarks against PM Modi and India, a few celebrity accounts from India shared unverified images , as from #Lakhsadweep .
Images of beaches featuring kayaking and islands have been shared. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/dKItANNiSO
Intent:
Influencers and politicians are circulating old images from Maldives as from Lakshadweep and hurting India’s global image.
Conclusion:
Claim : When the Maldives suspended three ministers for derogatory remarks about Prime Minister Modi and India, a few Indian celebrity accounts shared unverified images, including those from Lakhsadweep.
Fact : Kiren Rijiju’s images of kayaking and snorkelling are old Maldivian images. Ranveer Singh’s image of the islands shows the Maalhos, Hibalhidhoo, and Dharavandhoo islands in Baa Atoll, Maldives, as well as Maalhos harbour. Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag shared an image from Bora Bora, French Polynesia. This has nothing to do with the Lakshadweep Islands in India.
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