ISLAMABAD: In recent days, Indian media outlets have circulated a viral photo of a padlocked grave with an iron grille, claiming that it was from Pakistan and linked to rising cases of necrophilia in the country. However, a fact-checking news website, Alt News, has revealed that the photo was actually taken in Hyderabad, India.
The photo was initially published by a news agency called ANI Digital, which claimed that Pakistani parents were locking their daughters’ graves to prevent rape. The image was then used by several major Indian media outlets, including NDTV, The Times of India, and India Today, among others.
The photo also gained traction on social media, with users such as Harris Sultan, the author of ‘The Curse of God – Why I Left Islam’, and Robert Spencer, the director of Jihad Watch, spreading the false claim that it was from Pakistan.
False propaganda against Pakistan exposed
However, Alt News discovered that the cemetery with the padlocked grave was located in Darab Jung Colony, Madannapet, Hyderabad, India. The website contacted a social worker named Abdul Jaleel, who provided photographs of the grave and spoke to Muqtar Sahab, the Muazzin of the Masjid E Salar Mulk mosque located opposite the cemetery.
According to Muqtar Sahab, the padlocked grave was constructed without the concerned committee’s permission and was blocking the entrance pathway. The grille was put in place to prevent others from burying any bodies further and to stop people from stamping on the grave since the grave was located right in front of the entrance.
Muqtar Sahab also confirmed that the grave belonged to an aged lady who had passed away in her 70s, and her son had constructed the grille about 40 days after she had been buried.
Alt News has therefore concluded that the padlock had nothing to do with necrophilia or Pakistan and that the Indian media’s propaganda against Pakistan has been exposed as false.
The spread of false information in the media can lead to harmful consequences and undermine the trust of the public. It is essential for journalists and media outlets to verify the authenticity of their sources before publishing any news.
