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| - Fact Check: Viral post on BJP MP's wife taking flight during lockdown is misleading
With all domestic and international flight services suspended as part of the coronavirus lockdown, a picture of a BJP MP's wife on a flight has gone viral on social media.
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India Today Fact Check
The woman in question, Sujata Mondal Khan, had posted some old photos. SpiceJet did not operate any flight during lockdown.
With all domestic and international flight services suspended as part of the coronavirus lockdown, a picture of a BJP MP's wife on a flight has gone viral on social media.
The post claims that the wife of Saumitra Khan, BJP Lok Sabha MP from Bishnupur in West Bengal, flew to Kolkata on a SpiceJet flight during lockdown, at a time lakhs of migrant workers are covering thousands of miles on foot to reach their homes.
India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found the post to be misleading. Sujata Mondal Khan, the BJP MP's wife, had posted some old photos of taking a flight. No passenger flight has been operated by SpiceJet during the lockdown period.
The claim
On April 22, Sujata Mondal Khan (https://www.facebook.com/sujatamondalkhanbjp/posts/138863431032947) uploaded a series of selfies wearing a mask on a SpiceJet flight. The Facebook post in Bengali translates to, "It's a different kind of happiness when you return home. Kolkata is the 'City of Joy' and Delhi 'dilwalo ki'."
Soon after, netizens started taking a dig at her for "taking a flight during lockdown". Some also used pictures of migrants taking the long walk home to hit out at her "privilege".
The viral post on Facebook reads, "Civilian Sujata Mondal Khan, wife of BJP MP Soumitra Khan, flew to Kolkata in a Spice Jet flight today when the entire country is under lockdown, civil aviation is closed. Thousands of migrant workers right not on the road walking hundreds of miles to home. Everything will be remembered."
The post is viral on Facebook and Twitter. The archived version can be seen here.
SpiceJet version
We spoke to a SpiceJet spokesperson on the status of their operations in the lockdown period. The spokesperson said, "SpiceJet has suspended passenger flight operations during the lockdown period as per government directions. No passenger flight has been operated during this period."
SpiceJet's verified Twitter handle has also confirmed the same.
We would like to clarify that as per the government directive, SpiceJet has suspended its operations from 25th March 2020-03rd May 2020 and has not operated any commercial passenger flight during this period. — SpiceJet (@flyspicejet) April 23, 2020
MP's wife responds
When asked about the viral post, Sujata Mondal Khan told AFWA that she took the 10.40 pm SpiceJet flight from Kolkata to New Delhi on March 23, 2020. The image of the boarding pass can be seen below.
Sujata said she is presently residing at 174, North Avenue in the Capital due to the lockdown. She said like other migrants, she too felt homesick while going through the photos on her mobile phone, and hence made the post. She said the viral post is part of a conspiracy by the Trinamool Congress to malign her image
Therefore, it can be concluded that Sujata Mondal Khan, the wife of BJP MP Saumitra Khan, did not take a SpiceJet flight during lockdown. She had posted old pictures which were made viral with the wrong claim.
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