Fact test: This is not Amulya, the girl who raised ‘Pakistan’ Zindabad ‘slogans in 2020 during the agricultural protest

Amulya Leona Noronha, a student of journalism studying in Bengaluru, was arrested on February 20, 2020 when she stood on a stage and uttered slogans during a speech ‘Pakistan zindabad’. It was organized during a rally against the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA) by All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslim (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi in Bengaluru.

The Parliament of India approved the CAA on 11 December 2019 and amended the Citizenship Act, 1955. It provides a path to Indian citizenship for refugees from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, who are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis or Christians, and arrived in India before the end of December 2014.

Now, some images of Amulya are allegedly viral on social media, with the allegation that she was spotted during the ongoing farmers’ agitation in Delhi. While one image shows a young woman in a hat with a group of men, the second woman shows a woman in an argument with Owaisi.

The caption on one such image collage on Facebook reads: “The same girl in Farmers demonstrates what Pakistan Zindabad raised during an MIM meeting. What is this connection? Who are the forces behind this? The same faces seen in every Anti National protest. .. ”

The text in Telugu on top of the image collage translates into: “The girl who said Pakistan Zindabad is now a leader, that’s our biggest fate.”

India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) found the allegation along with the viral images misleading. The second photo in the image collage is that of Amulya. However, the girl in the first picture is not Amulya, but Valarmathi, a student activist from Tamil Nadu who visited the protesting farmers in January 2021.

The archived versions of similar posts can be seen here, here and here.

AFWA investigation

Let us verify both the images separately.

PHOTO 1

We did a reverse image search of the first image in the collage and found the same image along with some other images on the Facebook page of Anti Imperialist Movement-AIM.

According to the job description, the images show that members of various political groups in Tamil Nadu are participating in the farmers’ protest at the Tikiri border in Delhi. The photo also captured Professor Jagmohan Singh, cousin of Bhagat Singh. However, the post uploaded on January 25, 2021 did not mention the rest of the members in the photos.

AFWA contacted Muthuselvam, the secretary of AIM, who confirmed to us that the girl seen in the first image, along with the viral claim, is a student activist Valarmathi in Tamil Nadu and not Amulya. He further added that the image in question comes from a visit that the members of AIM and some other organizations paid to the protesting farmers in Delhi.

AFWA also contacted Valarmathi who confirmed to us that the girl in the viral image is she and Amulya is not part of their team.

‘The girl in the first picture with the viral allegation is me. I shared the same image on my Facebook profile. I am in Delhi on January 25 where I represent the Public Welfare Movement (SUMS). We were five people who represented various organizations of Tamil Nadu. We took part in the tractor march of 26 January and returned on 27 January. I know Amulya only via social media. She was not part of our team. We also do not think she was at the protest site when we visited Delhi, ‘Valarmathi, who is currently pursuing her master’s degree at Madras University, told AFWA.

Valarmathi shared the same photo on January 26, 2021 on her Facebook page.

She also shared other images and videos of the January 26 tractor march organized by farmers.

We also found several news reports from The Hindu, The New Indian Express and The News Minute confirming that Valarmathi is a student activist from Tamil Nadu.

PHOTO 2

Using reverse image search, we were able to confirm that the second image along with the viral claim came from the anti-CAA rally organized by Owaisi in Bengaluru on 20 February 2020, and the girl seen in the image is Amulya .

The same image was carried by the BCC on a February 21 report.

After the incident on February 20, Amulya is charged with rioting due to the rise of the Pro-Pakistani slogan and spent almost four months in jail before being granted bail in a magistrate’s court in Bengaluru. While Amulaya’s pro-Pakistani slogan left the organizers of the rally rosy, her arrest led to a debate over the use of sedition charges in the country.

Before the police dragged her off the stage on February 20, Amulya was heard saying, “Hindustan Zindabad, Pakistan Zindabad, the difference is.” She was detained before completing her sentence. Owaisi, who was present at the protest, also tried to stop Amulya from raising the slogan.

A video of the incident shared by ANI can be seen below.

#WATCH The full clip of the incident where a woman named Amulya at an anti-CAA-NRC rally in Bengaluru raised slogan of 'Pakistan zindabad' today. AIMIM Chief Asaddudin Owaisi present at rally stopped the woman from raising the slogan; He has condemned the incident. pic.twitter.com/wvzFIfbnAJ

— ANI (@ANI) February 20, 2020

We also found no reliable report confirming Amulya’s participation in the ongoing farmers’ protests.

Here is a comparison between Amulya and Valarmathi.

Therefore, it is clear that the image attended by Amulya attending the farmers’ protest is the image of a student activist from Tamil Nadu.