A photograph of Kerala Chief Minister's gunman falling on the ground behind an Innova car is doing rounds on social media. It is to be noted that the gunman of CM Pinarayi Vijayan has faced backlash for beating up Youth Congress workers during Nava Kerala Sadas.
A picture of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's gunman tripping and falling on the road during the Nava Kerala Sadas is being widely circulated on Facebook and WhatsApp. This photo is being circulated on WhatsApp with the caption 'Now God does not leave any figures, He will give them on the spot'. In the picture, the gunman who beat the Youth Congress workers who protested against the Chief Minister's Nava Kerala Sadas is seen lying down.
Let's check the facts:
Claim:
The photo was posted on December 21, 2023, by the Cyber Congress Facebook page. In the picture, a security officer can be seen lying on the road behind a white Innova car with a signboard saying 'VIP Security Commando' and another security officer in the vehicle looking on. It is understood that this is an official convoy of the state as other Innova cars can be seen lining up ahead with VIP Security written on them. These white Innova cars are registered in KL, the vehicle registration code of Kerala.
Congress leaders share picture:
Congress leader and former Trithala MLA VT Balram, Youth Congress state president Rahul Mamkootathil and many other leaders shared this picture on Facebook on 21 December 2023. Although VT Balram and Rahul Mamkootathil do not claim that the picture was taken during the Nava Kerala Sadas, it is clear that this photo was posted in the context of the protests against the Chief Minister's gunman who confronted Youth Congress workers.
What is the truth behind the picture widely being circulated on social media?
Since Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's official car and escort vehicles have been switched from white to black for a long time, it is evident that the viral picture of the security official falling is old at first glance. Asianet News Online published a news on 12th July 2022 regarding the colour change of the vehicle is proof of it.
If you look at the videos of the Nava Kerala Sadas 2023 uploaded by Asianet News on YouTube, you can see that the chief minister's security personnel are using black escort vehicles. Below is a video uploaded by Asianet News on 24th November 2023 regarding Nava Kerala Sadas. In the 41st second of this video, the Chief Minister's black escort vehicles can be seen moving in a row.
Other evidence:
The Asianet News online fact-check team also received information from the police stations during the investigation that the circulating picture is old. The explanation is that the security guard fell on the road while trying to get into the vehicle while it was moving forward. After checking the footage of the Nava Kerala Sadas this time, it was confirmed that the picture of a security officer falling behind a white Innova car with the sign 'VIP Security Commando' is an old one.
Conclusion:
The picture circulating that the gunman (of the Chief Minister) who was accused of beating up the youth Congressmen tripped and fell on the road is an old one. This photo has nothing to do with the current Nava Kerala Sadas-related events. The propaganda that the gunman fell to the ground during the Nava Kerala Sadas is false. The white commando security vehicles seen in the picture are no longer used as escort vehicles for Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.