Influencer-model misidentified as Indian Army Captain Anshuman Singh's widow

What is the claim? 

A video circulating on social media shows a woman in a pale yellow saree, with Hindi text overlaid on it translating to 'martyr’s wife'. It claims to depict Smriti Singh, the wife of late Indian soldier Captain Anshuman Singh—who died last year in July.

A user on X (formerly Twitter) shared the video (archived here) with the caption: “A mother sacrificed her son for the country, and the martyred soldier's wife is spreading beauty on Instagram with Rs 1 crore and Shaurya Chakra (translated from Hindi)." Archived versions of similar claims can be accessed here, here, and here.

Captain Anshuman was posthumously honored with the Kirti Chakra, India's second-highest peacetime gallantry award, for his efforts to save his fellow army men from a fire at Siachen. Indian President Droupadi Murmu presented the award to his wife, Smriti Singh, at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on July 5. 

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

Singh has been in the news after Captain Anshuman's parents raised concerns regarding the army's next-of-kin policy (NOK), alleging the medal and honorarium went to their daughter-in-law, who no longer lives with them.

However, as reported by The Hindu, citing Army sources, Rs. 1 crore from the Army Group Insurance Fund (AGIF) was divided between the late captain’s wife and parents, while the pension was allocated directly to his spouse. Additionally, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also announced financial aid of Rs. 50 lakh, with Rs. 35 lakh going to Smriti Singh and Rs. 15 lakh to his parents.

However, it has been confirmed that the viral video actually features model Reshma Sebastian, not Singh.

What we found 

A reverse image search of keyframes from the video led to the Instagram account of Reshma Sebastian. Sebastian uploaded this video (archived here) to her account on April 24, 2024.

A screenshot of the video from Reshma’s Instagram account. (Source: Instagram/Screenshot)

Her Instagram bio includes a link to her TEDx Talk on women and financial independence, in which she identifies herself as a model. According to the Hindustan Times, Sebastian resides in Germany with her husband and daughter, and is currently visiting Kerala.

Sebastian had also issued a clarification on her Instagram account, posted on July 14 (archived here), where she said: “This is not Smriti Singh's (widow of Indian Army soldier Capt Anshuman Singh) page/ig account. Read the profile details and bio first. Please refrain from spreading false information and hate comments.” This post was accompanied by a caption saying, “There is a limit…"

A screenshot of the clarification posted to Reshma’s account on July 17, 2024. (Source: Instagram/Screenshot)

She also shared a screenshot of a man's Facebook post on her Instagram story, featuring his picture and trolling Captain Anshuman's wife with the caption: “This is absurd! Using my identity to spread false information about Smrithi Singh (sic)... we are going ahead with legal actions.. if you find any such shares, please do let us know, so that we can report.”

A screenshot of the story shared on Reshma’s Instagram account. (Source: Instagram/Screenshot)

Furthermore, a comparison of photographs of Singh and Sebastian shows that while their hairstyles are similar, their faces do not match.

A comparison of Smriti Singh and Reshma Sebastian’s photos. (Source: X/ Instagram/Screenshot)

The verdict 

A video featuring model Reshma Sebastian is being widely circulated with the incorrect claim that she is Smriti Singh, wife of the late Captain Anshuman Singh.

(Translated by Vanita Ganesh.)