“Johar! Namaskar”, began Droupadi Murmu’s first tweet after she was sworn in as the 15th Presiedent of India on July 25, 2022. Murmu – the first tribal, second woman and the youngest person ever to become the country’s First Citizen – said on Twitter that trust and support will be the greatest strength in discharging her responsibilities.
“The feelings and emotions of these moments associated with the transfer of power create history. The political formalities for the new President’s takeover can wait. But the Vedic rituals are being prioritized,” a while sharing a photo of Kovind and Murmu purportedly attending a ritual at a temple.
The India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) found the claim was misleading. This photo was taken in Jharkhand’s Deoghar in 2020 while Kovind was on an official visit. Droupadi Murmu was the then Governor of Jharkhand.
We couldn’t find any news reports on Kovind attending a ritual in Murmu’s run-up to taking office. So, we ran a reverse search of the photo on Google.
Another Hindi news portal called ‘had used the now-viral photo alongside their article from the same date. ‘President Ram Nath Kovind worshipped Baba Vaidyanath in Deoghar’, the English translation of the The report also confirmed Governor Murmu’s presence at the temple.Ram Nath Kovind was in Jharkhand for a two-day visit on February 29 and March 1. Per reports his destinations included Ranchi, Deoghar and Gumla.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by GOVT.in staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
