2016 image of man wounded in Kashmir falsely linked to ongoing farmers' protest in India

What is the claim?

An image of a close-up of a man's wounded face is being circulated to claim that he was injured during the ongoing farmers' protest outside the borders of New Delhi, India's national capital. The man's face is riddled with small black wounds, and some ointment appears to have been applied to his visage. 

Several users posted the photo on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) to imply that Indian law enforcement agencies had hurt a man during the ongoing protests, which currently have farmers camping on the Haryana-Delhi borders as they demand better prices for their produce. 

One X wrote, "Modi's democracy⬇️⬇️. Shambhu/Khanori border." A Facebook post, originally written in Punjabi, said that the photo showed a farmer who had been hit with pellets. Archived versions of the viral posts sharing the image can be accessed here, here, here, and here.

Screenshots of the viral posts. (Source: X/Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, the claim is false, as the image dates back to 2016. The man in the viral image was injured during a protest in Kashmir.

What did we find?

A reverse image search on the viral photo led us to a news article dated September 16, 2016, that featured the same picture. According to a report by The New Indian Express, the man's name is Mohammad Imran Parray, and he was wounded after being hit by pellets during a protest in Kashmir. The incident occurred in 2016, and Parray was reportedly one of the victims who were injured by Indian security forces' pellet firing.

The viral image featured in a news article published by The New Indian Express. (Source: The New Indian Express/Screenshot)

We found the image of Parray's injuries was credited to the news agency Associated Press (AP). AP had published the now-viral image on July 13, 2016, with a description stating that it was captured by photographer Dar Yasin the same day. The agency further added that the image showed Parray recovering in a hospital in Srinagar. The picture caption also noted that local officials and doctors had said that at least four people were killed, and more than 100 were partially or completely blinded by the pellet guns.

Amid the ongoing farmers' protest, agitators have alleged the use of pellet guns by police officials at the Haryana-Punjab border crossings of Shambhu and Khanauri. While Haryana's Director General of Police (DGP) Shatrujeet Kapur has denied such charges, medical reports have examined the wounded protestors and found evidence of the usage of pellets. However, this viral image is unrelated to the situation at the borders and was taken during protests in the Kashmir valley in July 2016.

What happened in Kashmir?

In 2016, India's Kashmir valley witnessed unrest following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani on July 8. The unrest resulted in a significant number of casualties and injuries among the protestors, which included civilians and security force members. Several reports on the agitation at the time recorded the use of pellet guns, which resulted in severe injuries to the victims.

According to news reports, in September 2016, after scores of protestors were injured by pellets, Rajnath Singh, the then-home minister, had said that government troops would begin using some chili-filled shells instead of shotgun pellets to control crowds.

The verdict

An old image of a man injured during a protest in Kashmir is being shared as a photo from the recent farmers' protest in Delhi. The image was captured in 2016 at a hospital in Srinagar and is unrelated to the ongoing farmers' protest. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.