The following report was originally published by AFP Fact Check, a blog that focuses on fact-checking in response to the multiplication of misinformation and disinformation online.
An image has been shared multiple times in posts on Facebook alongside a claim it shows Rahul Gandhi, leader of the main Indian opposition Congress party, dining with Prime Minister Imran Khan. The claim is false; the photo of Khan has been doctored to make it appear as though Gandhi is sitting beside him.
The doctored image was shared in this Facebook post on May 2, 2019.
It shows India's Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The Hindi language caption translates to English as: “Who is this eating chicken biryani beside Miya Imran? Now the people will judge. This is Pappu's condition.”
Below is a screenshot of the doctored image:
Miya is an honorific for Muslim males, while Rahul Gandhi is often referred to as “Pappu” — which means "fool" or "simpleton" in Hindi — by supporters of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Here is a report on Gandhi being called "Pappu".
The same doctored image was shared in a Facebook post here with an identical claim.
The claim is false; the photo of Khan has been doctored to make it appear as though Gandhi is sitting beside him.
The part of the image showing Rahul Gandhi has been digitally manipulated. AFP has circled where someone else's hand appears next to Gandhi's:
A reverse image search on Google found the image was doctored from this photo, which was posted on Twitter on July 5, 2015.
The photo shows Khan dining with his then-wife Reham Khan. Below is a screenshot of that photo.
This is Reham Khan's Twitter account.
The couple divorced in October 2015 after ten months of marriage. Here is an October 30, 2015 article on their divorce published by The Guardian newspaper.
The day after the original photo was tweeted, the website of TV channel Dunya posted this video.
Below is a screenshot from that video:
The caption states: “Imran Khan, Reham devour sehri at Faisal Vawda’s residence.”
The photo of Rahul Gandhi has been doctored from this image of him opening a canteen in Bengaluru, India published by Indian newspaper The Hindu, on August 17, 2017.
In the photo, Gandhi is in the same pose as appears in the doctored image in the misleading Facebook posts.
Below is a screenshot of the photo:
AFP has previously debunked social media posts sharing the same image which had been doctored to show Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi eating with Imran Khan.
The exact same image has also previously been debunked by fact-checking organisation Fact Crescendo.