An old photo from Japan depicts prosthetic fingers being disseminated along with the false allegation that fake finger covers that resemble real ones are being created and distributed in West Bengal in order to give duplicate votes.
@ColAKSRana2 tweeted “To give duplicate votes artificial natural looking finger covers are being made for distribution in West Bengal. How far can they go to dupe the system?” on April 26, 2024. The tweet has received an about 27k views on X.
To give duplicate votes artificial natural looking finger covers are being made for distribution in West Bengal. How far can they go to dupe the system? pic.twitter.com/CU2Z0weOhN
— Col A K S Rana ( Veteran) मोदी का परिवार (@ColAKSRana2) April 26, 2024
Several other accounts, including @DilipKu24388061 made the same claim that In West Bengal, fake finger covers with a realistic appearance are being produced and distributed for duplicate voting. The archive can be read from above.
What is the Actual Truth About this Incident? : Fact
There is nothing to do with India in this photograph. In Japan, having a stunted pinkie indicates yakuza or Japanese mafia membership. Yakuza members must cut off their own fingers as part of a ceremony known as “yubitsume” in order to atone for major transgressions. Those who manage to escape find it difficult to get employment due to their missing fingers, in those cases, Japan is producing prosthetic fingers for these kinds of situations. At least since 2013, the picture has been accessible on the internet. The picture has been uploaded online on December 16, 2013 with the heading “PROSTHETIC FINGERS HELP REFORM FORMER YAKUZA MEMBERS”. It added “In Japan, a stunted pinkie signifies membership in the yakuza, or Japanese mafia. In a ritual known as “yubitsume,” yakuza members are required to chop off their own digits to atone for serious offenses. The left pinkie is usually the first to go, though repeated offenses call for further severing. As a result, those who get out, have a hard time finding work because of the stigma attached to those missing fingers.”
D-Intent’s Fact-Checking Results:
1887
— D-Intent Data (@dintentdata) April 27, 2024
ANALYSIS: Misleading
An old image from Japan shows prosthetic fingers being shared with a misleading claim that, to give duplicate votes, artificial, natural-looking finger covers are being made for distribution in West Bengal. This image has nothing to do with India. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/FzYXY9kByR
Intent:
Clueless users sharing old images from Japan of Prosthetic fingers and misleading claims about West Bengal to influence the ongoing election. An old image from Japan shows prosthetic fingers being shared with a misleading claim that, to give duplicate votes, artificial, natural-looking finger covers are being made for distribution in West Bengal. This image has absolutely nothing to do with India. In Japan, a stunted pinkie indicates membership in the yakuza, also known as the Japanese mafia. In a practice known as “yubitsume,” yakuza members are expected to cut off their own fingers as an apology for heinous offences. Those who do get out have a difficult time obtaining work due to the missing fingers, in such circumstances, prosthetic fingers are manufactured in Japan. The photograph has been available online since at least 2013.
Conclusion:
Claim : An old image from Japan depicts prosthetic fingers being disseminated, along with the erroneous assertion that fake, natural-looking finger covers are being manufactured for distribution in West Bengal in order to provide duplicate votes.
Fact : This image has nothing to do with India. A stunted pinkie signifies membership in the yakuza or Japanese mafia in Japan. In a ritual “yubitsume,” yakuza members are required to chop off their own fingers to atone for serious offenses. Those who get out have a hard time finding work because of the missing fingers. For such cases, Prosthetic fingers are being made in Japan. The image has been available online at least since 2013.
Also Read : Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh — Dalits Are Not Allowed to Perform Last rites at Cremation Ground? Fact-Check
