At least 316 people have been killed in massive landslides in the Wayanad district of Kerala even as relief and rescue operations continue in full swing. The toll is expected to go up with chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan stating that 240 people are still missing.
Amid the ongoing rescue operations, several social media users have shared images of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh workers participating in the efforts.
Sheetal Chopra, who describes herself as an RSS volunteer and a Modi-bhakt, tweeted four images of RSS workers purportedly in Wayanad. She remarked that Rahul Gandhi is not seen anywhere and yet RSS believes in Seva irrespective of religion, caste and ideology. (Archive)
Waynad Muslim population is 41% & its the safest seat for Rahul Gandhi
But when calamity hits the elected MP is not to be seen anywhere
It’s RSS ( Rashtriya swayam sevak sangh ) which believes in Seva irrespective of RELIGION, CASTE and IDEOLOGY helps people
pic.twitter.com/6oYw96wC7U
— Sheetal Chopra
(@SheetalPronamo) July 31, 2024
Journalist Ashok Shrivastav also shared the images with the same claim. (Archive)
वायनाड के सांसद राहुल गांधी, और वायनाड की भविष्य की सांसद प्रियंका वाड्रा दिल्ली में हैं पर वायनाड के आपदा पीड़ितों के बीच सेना और RSS के लोग काम कर रहे हैं।
वही सेना जिसे वायनाड के सांसद कहते हैं कि चीन वाले पीट रहे हैं।
वही RSS जिसे वायनाड के सांसद आतंकवादी संगठन कहते हैं। pic.twitter.com/P8qH5mUIod— Ashok Shrivastav (@AshokShrivasta6) August 1, 2024
Several other users used the same images while making the same claims. (Archives- 1, 2, 3, 4)
Click to view slideshow.Fact Check
The viral tweets consist of 4 different images. We discovered upon reverse image searched that all of them are old. The first and the second pictures were uploaded on the Facebook page of RSS Rengali, Sambalpur on August 18, 2018. According to the caption, the image showed the rescue operations carried out RSS workers after floods hit the state on August 16, 2018.
Twitter user @JyotiBatu also tweeted the second image in August 2018 stating that the picture shows RSS workers serving flood victims.
RSS workers in Kerala serving the flood victims pic.twitter.com/3N8jRh75n2
— Jyoti Batu (Modi ka Parivaar) (@JyotiBatu) August 19, 2018
The second and the fourth images can also be found on ABVP Bhaskarcharya college’s Facebook page. In a post, they lauded the volunteers of RSS’s Seva Bharathi Kerala & ABVP and appealed for donations. The post is dated August 19, 2018.
The third image can be traced back to the same period on VSK Tamil Nadu’s official website. According to the information provided there, the image depicts Seva Bharathi, an NGO associated with the RSS, involved in relief efforts for flood-stricken victims. The website reports that 350 Seva Bharathi units and 5,000 volunteers were actively engaged in relief work across the flood-affected districts in the state.
Click to view slideshow.Thus, a compilation of four images from the RSS’s service activities during the 2018 Kerala floods are being circulated as the organization’s current rescue efforts following the landslides in Wayanad. According to the RSS-run Panchajanya, however, workers of the organization have joined the rescue operations in the southern state.
The post Wayanad landslide: Old photos of RSS workers falsely viral as ongoing rescue ops in Kerala appeared first on Alt News.
This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Shinjinee Majumder.