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| - Fact Check: No, these school children are not touching the feet of an Indian soldier
A video of school children touching the feet of a soldier is going viral on social media, and users 'hope' that stone pelters in Kashmir behave the same way. India Today's Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found it to be a misleading claim. The viral video is not from India, but Sri Lanka.
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India Today Fact Check
The video is from Sri Lanka and the soldier is from the island nation
A video of school children touching the feet of a soldier is going viral on social media, and users hope’ that stone pelters in Kashmir behave the same way.
Facebook user Ramdeo Angh shared the video with the Hindi caption: Kash ke Kashmir ke pathharbaaz inn naujawano se kuch sikhte #bhartiyasena# INDIANARMY (only if stone pelters in Kashmir could learn something from these youngsters).
India Today’s Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found it to be a misleading claim. The viral video is not from India, but Sri Lanka.
The video is in circulation on social media for several weeks. Facebook user Purushottam Sharma also posted the video with the same claim.
In the 1.18-minute long viral video, school children are seen shaking hands and touching the feet of a soldier. People have commented saying Jai Hind on these posts, assuming that the incident is from India and the children are showing respect to an Indian jawan.
Using a combination of reverse image searches and keyword searches, we found that the same video was posted by several users like Choti Monika on YouTube on May 30, 2019, with the caption, Sri Lanka Army respected by school Childrens (sic).
Another user London Jaltha posted the same video on Facebook on the same day with a caption written in Sinhala, which says, You are the most important children of your parents. Your future is very bright, my children. Thank you from the heart.
Several Sri Lankan websites and news channels have also posted the video on Facebook and YouTube. Sinhala news channel Hiru News posted this video on its Facebook page on May 30, 2019, with the caption in Sinhala, which means Gratitude to War Heroes.
A shorter version of the same video was also posted by Hiru News on YouTube the same day.
According to an AFP Fact Check article published on June 12, 2019, the English translation to the Sinhala narration behind the video says, Security forces took steps to strengthen security in schools following security concerns that arose in public mind following the Easter bombings. In a voluntary reaction to the way security personnel lined up to cast away any feelings of fear in young minds, seen here are salutes of some school children, captured through a mobile phone camera
The Easter Bombings on April 21, 2019, that shook Sri Lanka, had killed more than 250 people.
A closer look at the viral video reveals that most children are using transparent plastic bags to carry their belongings to school.
According to news reports, due to security measures after the bomb blasts, the Sri Lankan administration had asked parents to replace school bags with clear plastic sacks for their wards.
A closer look at the army fatigue in the viral video shows resemblance with other pictures of Sri Lankan soldiers.
All these elements and media reports clearly establish that this video is not from India, but Sri Lanka and the soldier in the viral video is not an Indian jawan.
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