Fact Check: Social media posts claiming to show Dr Manmohan Singh's "last photo" from AIIMS are FALSE
Following the passing of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on December 26, 2024, a photo began circulating on social media, claimed to be his final image from AIIMS Hospital. However, this photo is False and is found to be an earlier image from 2021
Claim
In a Facebook post it is claimed that it is the last photo of the former prime minister. A post by Rv 7 news is captioned as "पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री मनमोहन सिंह ने ली आखिरी सांस, अस्पताल से आई उनकी आखिरी तस्वीर।" The post features a photo of the former prime minister on the bed and Dr Randeep Guleria by his side. The post can be accessed here.
Fact Check: Social media posts claiming to show Dr. Manmohan Singh's "last photo" from AIIMS are FALSE
The claim by the user is FALSE. The Medical Dialogues Fact Check team upon a fact check discovered that the image was from October 2021, when Singh was hospitalized at AIIMS Delhi due to fever, reportedly caused by dengue. The three-year-old photo was falsely presented as a recent one on social media.
Using a Reverse Image Search, The Medical Dialogues Fact Check Team traced the photo to an earlier post on X (formerly Twitter) by @NBTDelli, dated October 14, 2021. The image was captured during a visit by Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, the Union Health Minister at the time, to Dr. Manmohan Singh at AIIMS, New Delhi. It was discovered that the image was from October 2021, when Singh was hospitalized at AIIMS Delhi due to fever, reportedly caused by dengue. The three-year-old photo was falsely presented as a recent one on social media.
On October 14, 2021, ANI reported that Dr. Singh was hospitalized at AIIMS due to fever and fatigue. Dr. Mandaviya had also shared a tweet mentioning his visit to check on Dr. Singh's well-being.
Additional keyword searches revealed a video on The Tribune's verified YouTube channel, published on October 14, 2021, which confirmed the origin of the image.
The claim that this was Dr. Singh's "last photo" is further disproved by more recent images of him. In October 2022, Dr. Singh was photographed casting his vote during the Congress Presidential elections, and in May 2024, he was seen voting in the Lok Sabha elections.
Thus, the claim that the hospital image represents Dr. Manmohan Singh’s "last photo" is FALSE. The picture is from 2021, taken during his hospitalization for fever and weakness.
Medical Dialogues Fact Check Team
The claim by the user that the photo is the last picture of Dr. Manmohan Singh is the last picture of him is False. The photo is actually from 2021, taken when Dr. Singh was admitted to Delhi AIIMS due to fever and weakness. The three-year-old image was falsely presented on social media as recent, accompanied by an inaccurate claim.
Hence, the claim by the user is FALSE.
